A Blog Post to Inspire Your Compositional Creativity

While I am proud of every blog post, I am especially proud of today’s offering.

When we head out with our gear, everyone is on the same playing field. We get to choose our subjects. We all have the same light and wind and weather to work with. We consider the same subject or subjects, the same sky, the same water, the same land, and the same vegetation at hand. By carefully choosing a lens and our perspective, we determine exactly what we want to include in our images. Then we utilize our camera’s AF system and our knowledge of exposure to create the image we envisioned. To me, this represents the great challenges and rewards of nature photography. In addition, your post-processing skills determine the success of the optimized image.

So, I am especially proud of today’s post and the eight featured images because they show what you can do with the same rig and a creative mind. Each image below was created with the 400mm f/2.8, a 1.4X TC, a Sony a1, and a good measure of creativity and skill. Consider joining me on an Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) to live and learn the concepts illustrated below. In any case, I hope that you are inspired.

What’s Up?

I got lots done on Friday. Working with Eric Bowles, we are just about finished with our letter to concerned NANPA members; it should be going out on Monday. I have also been working on my Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagle B&H Event Space program. I was glad to learn that the sale of Bill Wingfield’s Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II lens is pending.

Today is Saturday 5 November. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about 3 1/2 hours to prepare including the time spent on the eight image optimizations and makes two hundred twenty-three 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!

You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

Brand-New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords BAA Discount Policy

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, or to any prior purchases.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard-to-get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a 1, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created on 3 November 2022, the wonderful fourth morning of the third DeSoto IPT. While standing at full height, I used the Robus RCM-439 4-Section Carbon Fiber Monopod, 65″/Wimberley MonoGimbal Head-supported Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with Exposure compensation on the Thumb Dial. Shutter Priority +2.3-stops. AUTO ISO set ISO 3200. 1/250 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be about 1/3-stop too dark. AWB at 7:43:52am with the sun behind me obscured by early morning clouds. Tracking: Zone/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: American White Pelicans in pink/purple/blue early morning light

A Pink/Purple/Blue Predawn Bird-scape

With some clouds on the eastern horizon, I was surprised by the pink/purple/blue early morning light as this light occurs most often on dead-clear mornings. The plan, that I call out to the group, was to get some pelicans floating in the still water near the lee-shore where the pre-dawn color was brightest. The east breeze being was somewhat blocked by the vegetated shoreline creating the still water.

The monopod enabled me to work at a fairly-slow-for-560mm shutter speed. Had I been handholding, all else being equal, sharpness would surely have suffered. Having been in Shutter Priority mode for pre-dawn blurs, I opted to stay with that for a while.

This image was also created on 3 November 2022, the wonderful fourth morning of the third DeSoto IPT. While seated on a hard-sand path, I used the shortened Robus RCM-439 4-Section Carbon Fiber Monopod, 65″/Wimberley MonoGimbal Head-supported Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with Exposure compensation on the Thumb Dial. Shutter Priority +1.7-stops. AUTO ISO set ISO 800. 1/40 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be about 1/6-stop too dark. AWB at 8:02:58am as the sun broke through the early morning clouds. Tracking: Zone/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 #2: American White Pelican swimming with o-o-f marsh grass foreground

Image Design Via Perspective

I wanted to get lower but with the tide fully high, I was reluctant to sit in almost a foot of water. So, I shortened the monopod, sat on the path, and included the out-of-focus grasses in the foreground. Note that in Shutter Priority mode I needed less plus compensation because the green vegetation — darker than the light blue water, influenced the meter toward a lighter exposure.

This image was also created on 3 November 2022, the wonderful fourth morning of the third DeSoto IPT. While standing at full height, I used the Robus RCM-439 4-Section Carbon Fiber Monopod, 65″/Wimberley MonoGimbal Head-supported Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 320. 1/1000 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be perfect. AWB at 8:09:59am on a then sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/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 #3: American White Pelican swimming with reflection

Up-In-the-Frame

When you wish to include the full reflection, you must use your camera’s AF system to place the bird higher in the frame than you would when creating a filed-guide portrait. With Sony, that is easy, as long as you remember to do it. Note that as the sun got higher in the sky that I (properly) abandoned Shutter Priority and went to Manual mode.

This image was also created on 3 November 2022, the wonderful fourth morning of the third DeSoto IPT. While standing at full height, I again used the Robus RCM-439 4-Section Carbon Fiber Monopod, 65″/Wimberley MonoGimbal Head-supported Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800. 1/2000 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be perfect. AWB at 8:13:44am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/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 #4: American White Pelican squadron in flight — incoming

Keeping Your Eyes Open. And Moving.

All successful bird and wildlife keep their eyes open and scanning in all directions unless they are actively photographing something great. In this case, everyone in the group noticed the large flocks of pelicans flying in from behind us. There was no shot when the long lines were coming in to join the large flock on the sandbar, but when this group turned back to the east (into the wind), to land, I liked what I saw.

This image was also created on 3 November 2022, the wonderful fourth morning of the third DeSoto IPT. Again, while standing at full height, I used the Robus RCM-439 4-Section Carbon Fiber Monopod, 65″/Wimberley MonoGimbal Head-supported Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/2500 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be perfect. AWB at 8:15:37am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #5: American White Pelican swimming — coy look-back pose

Sony a1 Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection

The performance of Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled borders on science-fiction like. In addition to detecting the bird’s eye with a tiny green square even before you half-press the shutter button, you can place the bird anywhere in the frame as the AF tracks the eye. I began by moving the AF point in the center up a few clicks, acquired the eye, and the recomposed left or right as needed depending on which way the bird was facing.

This image was also created on 3 November 2022, the wonderful fourth morning of the third DeSoto IPT. While seated in six inches of water, I used the knee-pod technique with the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 640. 1/2000 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be perfect. AWB at 8:31:40am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #6: American White Pelican swimming — battleship pose

Getting Lower

As the tide dropped, I opted to sit in the water and use the knee-pod technique (while ditching the monopod). When these huge pelicans are swimming toward you, they remind me of one of the now obsolete WW II-vintage battleships.

From r/Ask Historians on the Reddit.com website here:

u/ilikedota5 asked:

Why are battleships obsolete since world war two?

thefourthmaninaboat/Moderator wrote:

Battleships have become obsolete because in the modern threat environment they are not as capable at dealing damage as other possible options. Aircraft were the battleship’s main competitor at dealing damage immediately after WW2. Compared to a battleship, aircraft could deliver a heavier strike, over a longer distance, and much quicker. For example, for a target 300 miles away, it would take the typical fast battleship 10 hours at full speed to reach it. Aircraft would take a tenth of the time. The typical carrier aircraft cost tens of thousands of pounds, while a battleship cost closer to ten million. Hundreds of aircraft could be produced, maintained and flown for the cost of a battleship, and together those aircraft packed a bigger punch. Aircraft were more versatile than a battleship, and could project power over a much larger radius – including inland. A battleship can really only contest only the sea within range of its guns, while aircraft can contest anywhere they can fly to.

Battleships also represent a major liability – in a threat environment where everything is vulnerable, having a single, large, expensive target making up the majority of your combat power is foolish. If you lose a single aircraft, or small warship, then you have lost comparatively less than if you lose a battleship. Modern weaponry, especially nuclear weapons (as demonstrated at Bikini Atoll) make battleships just as vulnerable as any other ship or aircraft.

This image was also created on 3 November 2022, the wonderful fourth morning of the third DeSoto IPT. While seated in six inches of water, I used the foot-pod technique (with some trepidation) with the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 400. 1/2500 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 8:37:22am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #7: American White Pelican flock on sandbar

Getting a Lot Lower With Some Trepidation

When sitting in the water using the foot-pod technique, the wavelets may at times lap against the lens hood. One needs to work carefully to avoid dunking their rig. But for me, the ultra-low perspective, as seen in Images #7 and 8, is well worth the risk.

My Favorite Bird?

Which is my favorite bird in the flock?

Despoiled Wilderness

The natural wilderness that is Outback Key at Fort DeSoto Park is spoiled by a proliferation of large signs as well as by the stakes, strings, and ribbons that protect the Least Tern colonies in spring. At nearly all beach-breeding bird colonies, the strings and ribbons (at least) are removed when the nesting birds have left the colony. Important signs might be lowered and reduced in size and number to better persevere the wild aspects of the key. It took me more than thirty minutes to remove the posts, strings, and ribbons that marred the raw file for Image #7.

This image was also created on 3 November 2022, the wonderful fourth morning of the third DeSoto IPT. Again, while seated in six inches of water, I used the foot-pod technique (with some trepidation) with the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 400. 1/2500 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be perfect. AWB at 8:37:22am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #8: American White Pelican — small-in-the-frame swimming with its reflection

Your Call?

Which of today’s eight featured images is your favorite? Please enlarge each image, make your choice, and leave a comment letting us know why you made your choice. I have two that I really love and will share those here with you on Tuesday.

The Jackpot Question

Which two of today’s eight featured images have something that bugs me? Leave a comment noting those two and the thing in each that bugs me.

Click on the image to better see the green eye-AF boxes in action. Sony Alpha 1 Flight Photography AF Points!

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. The group is now up to up to an astounding 131 lucky and blessed folks, and 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.

On Getting Better

Consider joining me on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). The San Diego, Homer, and the yet-to-be announced Spring DeSoto IPTs, the July 2023 Jacksonville IPT, and the July 2024 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime, all offer the opportunity for you to dramatically improve your skills both in the field and at the computer and to make some astounding images as well. Click here and see which IPT might be best for you.

What’s Up?

Day 3 of the third DeSoto IPT dawned cloudy. The American White Pelicans were as sedentary as they were on Tuesday — so much for bird behavior being repetitive. We bailed early and headed for the fishing pier with the nice east wind. We had lots of action with diving pelicans, Laughing Gulls, Sandwich Terns, and lots of silly-tame wading birds on the railings and in flight. The variably cloudy sky made getting the exposures perfect difficult even with Sony’s Zebras; we’d go from cloudy dark to full sun in just a moment. I taught the boys and girls to go one or two clicks darker for the Snowy Egrets than for the Sandwich Terns, and one or two clicks lighter for the darker Brown Pelicans. Each click is 1/3-stop.

Mike and Norma stayed in on Wednesday afternoon while Bob Reis and I did another session with the shorebirds at ground level. We began with a juvie Piping Plover that posed right in front of us for what seemed like an eternity. We had some winter Western Sandpipers, two oystercatchers, a Short-billed Dowitcher, two Black Bellied Plovers, and a handsome Willet. We did lots of wide shot bird-scapes as the light was soft and sweet and the breeze created gorgeous patterns in the water. I took the group out for a late thank you dinner to Pia’s Trattoria in Gulfport.

Today is Thursday 3 November 2022, the last morning of the third DeSoto IPT. 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 including the time spent on the image optimizations and makes two hundred twenty-two 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!

You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

Brand-New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords BAA Discount Policy

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, or to any prior purchases.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard-to-get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a 1, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created on 2 November 2022 on the third morning of the third DeSoto IPT. While standing at full height I used the handheld the Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 2500. 1/3200 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 8:34:00am on a cloudy morning. Tracking: Zone/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: Laughing Gull scolding incoming American Oystercatcher

Just Hanging Around

We were standing around near the base of the pier waiting for the Sandwich Terns to dive and come up with a baitfish when I spotted an incoming oystercatcher. I called it out to the group, but no-one saw it fast enough to get on the bird. I fired off about ten frames and kept four. My two favorites are today’s featured images. I like one better first but changed my mind.

This image was created on 2 November 2022 on the third morning of the third DeSoto IPT. While standing at full height I used the handheld the Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 2500. 1/3200 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 8:34:00am on a cloudy morning. Tracking: Zone/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 #2: Laughing Gull scolding incoming American Oystercatcher

560mm Handheld and Loving It at DeSoto

The 400 f/2.8 GM lens with the 1.4X TC and an a1 has become my primary rig at DeSoto. It is great to head out onto the beach without a tripod. At times, the prime lens alone is even more deadly without the teleconverter. I have been using the 600 with either TC on the flattened tripod in the afternoons for the shorebirds. With great success.

Your Call?

Which of the two images do you like best? Leave a comment and let us know why you made your choice.

Click on the image to better see the green eye-AF boxes in action. Sony Alpha 1 Flight Photography AF Points!

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. The group is now up to up to an astounding 131 lucky and blessed folks, and 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.

On Getting Better

Consider joining me on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). The San Diego, Homer, and the yet-to-be announced Spring DeSoto IPTs, the July 2023 Jacksonville IPT, and the July 2024 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime all offer the opportunity for you to dramatically improve your skills both in the field and at the computer and to make some astounding images as well. Click here and see which IPT might be best for you.

What’s Up?

The third DeSoto IPT got off to a great start. Our day began with about 1000 American White Pelican roosting on a sandbar, the largest flock I have every seen anywhere. Half of those flew right at us into the east breeze as the sun came up. There were lots of fishing and flying wading birds, mostly Great and Snowy Egrets. As the morning progressed, we had a tame juvenile American Oystercatcher in still blue water. Early on, I avoided getting my butt muddy but I finally decided to sit down in the water for super-low perspectives. As soon as I placed the lens barrel between my feet, every bird at North Beach took flight in fear as a Merlin streaked by. Since I was already wet, I stayed put and was rewarded when the oystercatcher flew back. A Great Egret joined it, as did the single Greater Yellowlegs in Image #2, below. It was the only one we saw. There were no sightings of the Bar-tailed Godwit.

Today is Tuesday 1 November 2022. Bob Ries will be joining us for two days of the IPT. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare including the time spent on the image optimizations and makes two hundred-twenty 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!

You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

Brand-New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords BAA Discount Policy

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, or to any prior purchases.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard-to-get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a 1, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created on 31 October 2022 on the first morning of the third DeSoto IPT. Standing at full height, I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800. 1/4000 sec. at f/3.2 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the exposure was determined to be perfect (ho hum). AWB at 8:04:37am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/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: American White Pelican in flight

Positioning

Bird behavior tends to be repetitive. When the pelicans took off to our right, we moved right. If they took off to our left, we moved left. Most of our moves were of about one hundred yards. We moved several times; most turned out very well. As it got brighter and brighter, the birds quit taking off. We waited fifteen minutes and then headed for greener pastures. As we walked south, dozens of birds began taking off again to the east 🙁

This image was created on 31 October 2022 on the first morning of the third DeSoto IPT. Standing at full height, I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800. 1/4000 sec. at f/3.2 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the exposure was determined to be perfect (ho hum). AWB at 8:04:37am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/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 #1A: A7 INFO AF points for the American White Pelican in flight image

400mm f/2.8 Autofocus

Autofocus needs light and contrast to work. Many do not realize that with all things being equal, an f/2.8 lens — with its huge light gathering capabilities, will focus faster and more accurately than an f/4 lens. In the same vein, an f/4 lens will focus faster and more accurately than an f/5.6 lens. And so on an so forth.

As you can see in the screen capture above, Sony a1 AF performance with 400mmf/2.8 GM lens is superb, This lens has quickly become my favorite DeSoto lens, always used without a tripod, and often with the 1.4X TC.

This image was created on 31 October 2022 on the first morning of the third DeSoto IPT. While seated in six inches of cool water I used the foot-pod technique with the Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 500. 1/5000 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 9:36:04am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/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 #2: Greater Yellowlegs foraging

Perspective Question

Is there such a thing as being too low? Why should I have had the lens on my toes rather than between my feet?

Typos

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

Wanted to Buy

If you have a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM lens sitting on a shelf in your garage, unused for months, and would like to get some good money for it, please get in touch via e-mail..

Your Call

If you favor one of today’s two featured images over the other, please leave a comment and let us know why you made your choice.

This all-new card includes images created on my JAN 2022 visit to San Diego. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

The 2022/23 San Diego Brown Pelicans (and more!) IPTs

San Diego IPT #1. 3 1/2 DAYS: WED 21 DEC thru the morning session on Saturday 24 DEC 2022. $2099.00. Deposit: $699.00. Limit: 6 photographers/Openings: 5.

San Diego IPT #2. 4 1/2 DAYS: SAT 7 JAN thru the morning session on WED 11 JAN 2023: $2699.00. Deposit: $699.00. Limit: 6 photographers/Sold Out.

San Diego IPT #3: 4 1/2 DAYS: THURS 19 JAN thru the morning session on MON 23 JAN 2023: $2699.00. Deposit: $699.00. Limit: 6 photographers.

Please e-mail for information on personalized pre- and post-IPT sessions.

Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (nesting) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Ducks; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Northern Shoveler and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heermann’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others are possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seals and California Sea Lions (both depending on the current regulations and restrictions). And as you can see by studying the IPT cards, there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Not to mention a ton of excellent flight photography opportunities and instruction.

Please note: where permitted and on occasion, ducks and gulls may be attracted (or re-located) with offerings of grains or healthy bread.

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects, including and especially the Pacific race of California Brown Pelican. With annual visits spanning more than four decades, I have lots of photographic experience there … Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Learning Exposure, Whether You Like It Or Not

Whether you like it or not, we will be beating the subject of exposure like a dead horse. In every new situation, you will hear my thoughts on exposure along with my thoughts on both Nikon and Canon histograms and SONY Zebras. Whether you like it or not, you will learn to work in manual mode so that you can get the right exposure every time (as long as a bird gives you ten seconds with the light constant). Or two seconds with SONY zebras … And you will learn what to do when the light is changing constantly. What you learn about exposure will be one of the great takeaways on every IPT.

Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT, there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

It Ain’t Just Pelicans

With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there is usually some excellent flight photography as well, often with 70-200mm lenses! And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You will be guided as to how to make the best of those opportunities. Depending on the weather, the local conditions, and the tides, there are a variety of other fabulous photo chances available in and around San Diego.

Did I mention that there are lots of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter? Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

The San Diego Details

These IPTs will include four or five 3-hour morning photo sessions, three or four 1 1/2-hour afternoon photo sessions, and three or four working brunches that will include image review and Photoshop sessions. On rare cloudy days, we may — at the leader’s discretion, stay out in the morning for a long session and skip that afternoon. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. And so that we can get some sleep, dinners will be on your own as well. In the extremely unlikely event that Goldfish Point is closed due to local ordinance (or whimsy) — that has never happened in the past fifty years, I will of course do my very best to maximize our photographic opportunities.

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects, including and especially the Pacific race of California Brown Pelican. With annual visits spanning more than four decades, I have lots of photographic experience there … Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Deposit Info

A $699 deposit is required to hold your slot for one of the 2022/23 San Diego IPTs. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART”) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due three months before the trip.

Variety is surely the spice of life in San Diego. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Getting Up Early and Staying Out Late

On all BIRDS AS ART IPTS including and especially the San Diego IPT, we get into the field early to take advantage of unique and often spectacular lighting conditions and we stay out late to maximize the chances of killer light and glorious sunset silhouette situations. We often arrive at the cliffs a full hour before anyone else shows up to check out the landscape and seascape opportunities.

What’s Up?

As is typical, things started off slowly at Sebastian Inlet on Saturday. By 10:00am the action began picking up and continued at least until 1:30pm (when I left). There were a dozen or so Ospreys in the air fishing much of the time along with dozens of Royal Terns and Laughing Gulls. With mostly sunny skies and a north/northeast wind, photography was difficult at best; once the birds hit the water they flew directly away from us. I started with the hand held 600mm f/4, went to the 200-600 when it became totally sunny, and ended with the handheld 400mm f/2.8 when it got cloudy for a brief while. With the light changing drastically from minute to minute getting consistently perfect exposures was a challenge even with Zebras.

Today is Sunday 30 October 2022. I head over to DeSoto this afternoon for the 3rd DeSoto Fall IPT. The Bar-tailed Godwit continues. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about two hours to prepare including the time spent on the image optimizations and makes two hundred-eighteen 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!

You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

Brand-New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords BAA Discount Policy

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, or to any prior purchases.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard-to-get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a 1, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created on 16 January 2022 on a Diego/Brown Pelican IPT. While seated using the knee-pod technique, I used 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.) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/500 second at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 10:26:54am on a cloudy morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be dead-solid perfect. Tracking: Zone/Bird Eye-Face AF-C performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Heerman’s Gull adult calling — gently backlit

Determining Your Minimum Handholding Shutter Speed for a Given Situation

When handholding a telephoto lens for bird photography, each photographer must determine the lowest shutter speed with which they can create consistently sharp images for a variety of situations. Several factors must be taken into account. Those include:

a- The focal length
b- The sharpness technique you are using
c- The potential for subject movement.

Here are my thoughts on my personal minimum shutter speeds when working at 600mm. When adding a teleconverter, you will need to increase your minimum shutter speed.

1- For birds in flight, 1/3200 sec. is preferred. I will go higher on sunny days with fast lenses. With slower flying subjects, 1/2500 and 1/2000 sec. should be fine. When trying to avoid super-high ISOs, shutter speeds as low as 1/500 sec. may produce sharp images on occasion. If you are able to perfectly match the speed of the bird in flight with your panning speed, it is possible to create sharp on the eye images at shutter speeds down to 1/60 or even 1/30 sec. On occasion, when caught with my pants down, I have followed my own advice to shoot now and ask questions later and made some sharp flight images with shutter speeds of 1/160, 1/250, 1/320, and 1/400 sec. You can call those accidental successes.

2- For walking or swimming birds I will go with 1/1000 sec in most lighting conditions. When using the knee-pod or foot-pod techniques, you can cut that in half.

3- When photographing birds that are moving slowly such as when calling, or displaying, I generally will want to be at at least 1/500 sec., even in low light situations, and even when knee-podding or foot-podding.

4- When photographing completely static subjects, I will generally try for 1/250 sec. when standing at full height. When seated and knee-podding I am comfortable at 1/125 sec. and will try 1/60 sec. in very low light situations.

You can only learn your minimum required shutter speeds by trial and error. All of the minimums above may be reduced when working with shorter focal length lenses or with shorter focal lengths when using a zoom lens. Note that some folks who may always opt for shutter speeds of from 1/2000 to 1/3200 sec. in static situations without worrying about high and mega-high ISOs so that they are always ready for flight and action.

This image was created on 16 January 2022 on a Diego/Brown Pelican IPT. While seated using the knee-pod technique, I used 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.) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/500 second at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 10:26:57am on a cloudy morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be dead-solid perfect plus a bit more. Tracking: Zone/Bird Eye-Face AF-C performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Heerman’s Gull adult calling — gently backlit

A High-Level Exposure Fine Point Question

Image #1 and 2 were created just three seconds apart in the same light with the same settings: ISO 1250: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3.

How is it possible that RawDigger showed no over-exposed pixels along the top of the bird’s head in Image #1, yet revealed significant over-exposure in the rim-lit area on the top of the gull’s head in Image #2?

Typos

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

The Homer IPTs

If you are considering attending one of these great trips, please contact me via e-mail. I will do my very best to make it happen.

All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK

2023 Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagle IPTs

IPT #1: MON 20 FEB 2023 through the full day on FRI 24 FEB 2023. Five full days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 2.

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: 3.

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: 2.

Save $1,500.00 by doing back-to-back trips. Save $2500 by doing all three trips.

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

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

All images from Kachemak Bay in 2022!

What You Will Learn

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 three. 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.

What’s Up?

I spent most of Thursday catching up on last weekends NFL games on TIVO and working on new images. Though my recent three-state road trip did not produce as a single good image of a bird, I had a great time doing scenics, trees, old buildings, and Prairie Dogs, and learning a ton about drive-by shooting.

Today is Friday 28 October 2022. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about 90 minutes to to prepare including the time spent on the image optimizations and makes two hundred-sixteen 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!

You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

Brand-New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords BAA Discount Policy

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, or to any prior purchases.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard-to-get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a 1, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created on 25 February 2020 on an Instructional Photo-Tour at Kachemak Bay, Homer, AK. While crouching a bit, I used the hand held Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 280mm) and the Sony a9 II (now replaced for me by The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.) The exposure was determined via Zebras. ISO 500: 1/1600 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 3:27:45pm on a cloudy morning. Tracking: Expand Flexible Spot (S) AF/C performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Bald Eagles — juvenile and adult juxtaposition

Creating Pleasing Juxtapositions

When I first began photographing birds 39 years, 2 months, and 21 days ago, I strove to include only a single bird in the frame. Then I created an image of a momma Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear clamming with an out-of-focus, pleasingly offset bear cub clamming in the background. When that image was honored in a National Wildlife Federation contest, I realized that pleasing juxtapositions could also work well with birds. You can see that image in the Composition and Image Design Gallery of The Art of Bird Photography II. Overseas folks (and others) may wish to purchase the electronic download version here.

In many cases, pleasing juxtapositions last only a few seconds; to succeed, you need to work fast and have mastered your camera’s AF system. In more than 99% of successful pleasing juxtapositions, it is best to focus on the nearest subject. There are, however, exceptions, so be open to thinking out of the box and spotting them. In general, it is best to avoid any merges, but again, there are exceptions. Most importantly, you need to understand that you move the two subjects around in the frame by changing your perspective left or right, or up or down.

This image was created on 19 February 2022 on a Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagle IPT. I used 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. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 640. 1/2000 second at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 2:00:43pm on a sunny afternoon. RawDigger showed the exposure to be perfect. Tracking: (Upper Center) Zone performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Bald Eagle — adult taking flight

AF Strategies for Vertical Shooting

When set up properly, nearly all modern camera bodies can remember different AF methods and/or different AF points for horizontal and vertical shooting. In all BIRDS AS ART camera user’s Guides I advise that you choose and save an upper center AF area so that you are good to go instantly when photographing tall birds like herons, egrets, and cranes. That strategy paid off well when this sitting tall eagle took flight. The beauty of SONY’s Tracking Zone is that it will continue to track the bird’s eye even when the eye is outside of the brackets.

Motion Blur

Even at 1/2000 second, the eagles head and eye exhibited substantial motion blur. Even with a faster shutter speed, you can often get motion blur as a result of jerking the lens in response to unexpected subject movement. Topaz Sharpen AI did a fine job of cleaning things up. I usually reduce the opacity of the Sharpen AI layer to about 80% and that approach worked well with this image.

Getting the Right Exposure

Join a BAA IPT to learn to get the right exposure on both sunny and cloudy days no matter your camera system. Even with black and white subjects like the eagles on the Homer IPTs.

Typos

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

Your Call?

Which of today’s vastly different featured images do you like best? Why?

What’s Up?

I left Boise City, OK at 4:30am, drove through the Texas Panhandle, and arrived at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge to scout at 11:00am on a bright sunny day. I had lunch at 2:00pm in the very funky Medicine Park, OK.
There was beautiful scenery with prairie, low mountains, and lots of lakes along with bison and lots of great birds. As has been the case on my four-day road trip, bird photography was difficult to impossible, with the emphasis on impossible.

Today is Wednesday 26 October 2022. I am headed to Dallas Love Field for my 1:50 nonstop flight to Orlando. I should be back to ILE at about 8:00pm. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about two hours to prepare including the time spent on the image optimizations and makes two hundred-fourteen 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!

You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

Brand-New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords BAA Discount Policy

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, or to any prior purchases.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard-to-get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a 1, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

iPhone Pano Image #1: Rock wall

Scott Mountain Rock Wall

I drove to the top of Scott Mountain after lunch to enjoy the views. They were mostly spectacular, but for the wind turbine farms to the east.On the way up, I marveled at the beauty of the lichens and the patterns on the rock walls. I imagined stopping on the way down and photographing the colorful shaded walls that were in the shade with the 70-200 f/2.8 lens. A second idea popped into my head: do an iPhone pano while standing close to the wall. I found a pull-off on the shaded side of the road, spent about twenty minutes at work with the short telephoto zoom lens, and made some nice images. and then tried the pano

This image was created on October 2022 at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Oklahoma. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 840mm) with The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera ISO 640. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel: RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect: 1/1000 sec. at f/9 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 4:46:18pm on a sunny afternoon. Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Animal Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly. Image #2: Prairie Dog — standing at burrow entrance image

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Worn by time and nature, the Wichita Mountains loom large above the prairie in southwest Oklahoma—a lasting refuge for wildlife. Situated just outside the Lawton/Ft. Sill area, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge preserves approximately 60,000 acres of mixed grass prairie, ancient granite mountains, and fresh water lakes and streams for the benefit of wildlife and the American people. Best known for its roaming herds of bison, longhorn, and Rocky Mountain elk, Wichita Mountains also offers quality opportunities for wildlife dependent recreation including fishing, bird watching, wildlife photography, hiking, camping, and kayaking.

Getting Luck with the Prairie Dogs!

Stopping at the Visitor Center, I was told that all of the Prairie Dogs, several thousand of them, had disappeared after a recent cold snap. I was happy to spot a few dozen near their burrows aside the main road. I pulled off, exited the driver’s side door, scooted around the front of my car on my butt, and sat patiently. I was rewarded when several of the cute little mammals cooperated.

With lots of light, the 200–600 with the 1.4X TC was the obvious choice. The foot-pod technique allowed me to get pleasingly low. How would this image been slightly improved had I gotten six inches higher by switching to the toe-pod technique?

I was pleased to learn that Animal Eye/Face Detection with the a1 worked perfectly. It was the first time I had used it.

Typos

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

Click on the composite to enjoy a high-res version. All images were created with the handheld SONY 200-600GM and the a1. The 1.4X TC was added for the sorghum field blur. The rattler was unfortunately road-killed. Black Mesa State Park Composite

Your Favorite?

Which image in the composite would you like to see optimized?

What’s Up?

There was a Red Wind Alert yesterday in the Oklahoma Panhandle: mean wind speeds in excess of 50 mph with gusts in excess of 80mph. After the 387-mile drive from OKC to Boise City in the Oklahoma Panhandle, I spent five hours exploring Black Mesa State Park. In a word, the winds were ferocious at times. Twice I made my way to rock ledges above the lake, and feared for my safety when returning to my vehicle just yards away. It felt as if the rock cliff were moving and as if I would be lifted up and away. Having once experienced fierce katabatic wind in Antarctica, I would say that yesterday was worse.

There were lots of birds: Common Ravens, meadowlarks, Horned Larks, Bald and Golden Eagle (the latter carrying a rabbit), juvenile Northern Shrike, Mountain Bluebird, Prairie Falcon, Red-tailed Hawk, cormorants, and many other unidentified species. Photographing any of them, even from the car, was impossible because of the high winds. Above is a sampling of images that I made with the handheld 200-600 using very high shutter speeds and very high ISOs, the latter despite the bright sunshine.

Today is Monday 24 October 2022. I am headed out to explore the ares north and west of Black Mesa. It is cooler and cloudy bright with only a breeze from the north. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about 60 minutes to prepare and makes two hundred-twelve 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!

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.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Today is Saturday 22 October 2022. I began working on this blog post a bit before 1pm — better late than never keeps the streak alive. I just finished my “A Bird Photographer’s” Story Master Class at OKC PhotoCon. It was well received. 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 two hundred-ten 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!

You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

Brand-New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords BAA Discount Policy

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, or to any prior purchases.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard-to-get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a 1, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

Joe McNally and yours truly chatting after his program iPhone image courtesy of and copyright 2022 StukenborgPhotography image

Joe McNally in pictures & words, but mostly words …

I have been aware of Joe McNally’s images for several decades. I knew that he had been a Nikon Ambassador and a National Geographic photographer for decades. I’d seen his images, but had never seen him speak until late yesterday afternoon. For a sampling of his best work, check out the portfolio on his website here. Immerse yourself in the 314-image slide show by clicking on the right-facing forward arrow. It is hard to believe that he has many thousands more astoundingly beautiful and creative images. Heck, surely tens of thousands more.

In short, the program turned out to be one of those the top-ten-days-in-my-life experiences. Here are some of the words that I came up with to describe Joe’s work, his images, his career, his life, and the program. Many of these adjectives describe all of those categories, in no particular order. Astounding, creative, astoundingly creative, personable, humorous, dedicated, hard-working, light-hearted, perseverant, brilliant, vast, technically & technologically-gifted, acclaimed, award-winning, oft-honored, prolific, fearless, zany, insane, visionary, friendly, inspiring, gracious, passionate, complex, adaptable, decisive, adventurous, charismatic, fiercely independent, mind-blowing, self-confident, moving, and colorful, just to list a few. Did I mention that he likes to climb to the top of very high things with a camera in his hand and that he routinely creates stunning images of everything he photographs?

Joe McNally’s website bio

The Camera is a Visa – Around the Globe with Joe McNally

Joe’s program was aptly titled “The Camera is a Visa – Around the Globe with Joe McNally.” So, what does Mr. McNally like to photograph? The world and everything in it. He has done street photography; newspaper photography; commercial and assignment photography; people, fashion, dance, & aviation photography, magazine photography (including cover stories for National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek, Geo, Fortune, New York, Business Week, Life & Men’s Journal); and just about everything else.

I got to chat with Joe after the program and mentioned that when I had been a Canon Explorer of Light, I had twice gotten in trouble with the powers that be at Canon for quoting him, a Nikon shooter, on my blog. Two of my favorite Joe McNally quotes went something like these: “Here’s a roll of film, there’s the door. Everyone is equal. Let’s see what you can do,” and “Part of succeeding as a photographer is to put your lens in a spot where nobody has ever put one before.”

Typos

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

Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #3 Late Registration Discount Info

If you are interested in learning about the late registration discount offer for the third Fort DeSoto IPT, please get in touch via e-mail

On Getting Better

Consider joining me on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). The DeSoto, San Diego, Homer, and the yet-to-be announced July 2023 Jacksonville and July 2024 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime all offer the opportunity for you to dramatically improve your skills both in the field and at the computer and to make some astounding images as well. Click here and see which IPT might be best for you.

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.

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/Openings: 5.

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.

This IPT will run with only a single registrant (though that is not likely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with Gulfport AirBnB information.

A $600 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check two months before the trip. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with six folks, so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand, or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, juvenile Tricolored Heron, Marbled Godwits, Great Blue Heron, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Stork, smiling Sea Scallop, Ruddy Turnstone scavenging needlefish, Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette at my secret spot, and southbound migrant tern flock blur.

Up Early, Stay Out Late!

Obviously, folks attending an IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of the sweetest light and sunrise and sunset colors (when possible). The good news is that the days are relatively short in early fall. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving. The length of cloudy morning sessions will often be extended. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Spoonbills at DeSoto

Over the past years, Roseate Spoonbills have become regular visitors to Fort DeSoto Park. I know when and where to find them and can teach you to approach them successfully. Do consider joining me on the last Fall DeSoto IPT.

What’s Up?

I left home at 6:00am to catch my flight to Dallas. I fly there rather than to OKC to enjoy a non-stop flight. Then a three hour drive up to the PhotoCon hotel. I will be staying on for a few days before flying home Wednesday afternoon. If anyone knows any spots north of Dallas that might be good for bird photography at this time of year, please get in touch via e-mail; perhaps we could meet up.

Enjoy Matt Milnes’ very fine featured z9 images and leave a comment letting us know your favorite and why you made your choice. I have a tie for first. It is obvious that the Z9 on the 500PF with the adapter is deadly when in competent hands.

Today is Thursday 20 October 2022. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about two hours to prepare and makes two hundred-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 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!

Homer IPT Multiple Trip Discounts Increased

Save $1,500.00 by doing back-to-back trips. Save $2500 by doing all three trips. If you sign up with a friend or a spouse, please e-mail for couples’ discount info.

On Getting Better

Consider joining me on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). The DeSoto, San Diego, Homer, and the yet-to-be announced July 2023 Jacksonville and July 2024 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime all offer the opportunity for you to dramatically improve your skills both in the field and at the computer and to make some astounding images as well. Click here and see which IPT might be best for you.

Attention NANPA Members

If you are currently a NANPA member who enjoys and benefits from your membership and would like to see the organization grow and improve, please contact me via e-mail on a matter of urgent importance.

How Much Can You Learn in a Single Morning?

This image was created on 10 October 2022 on a Fort DeSoto IPT by Matthew Milnes. He used the handheld Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and the vaunted Nikon Z9 Mirrorless camera body with the FTZ II Adapter Kit. ISO 250: 1/40 sec. at f/8 (stopped down one stop). AWB at 7:51:11am on a cloudy morning. Image #1: American Oystercatcher pair/blur Image courtesy of and copyright 2022: Matthew Milnes

Matthew Milnes

I first met Matthew Milnes online when he kindly identified the egg-laying turtle in the blog post here as a Peninsular Cooter (Pseudemys peninsular). We had been in touch off and on since then. On the third day of the second Fort DeSoto IPT, a handsome young man approached me and asked, “Are you Arthur Morris? I am Matthew Milnes, the guy who helped you with the turtle ID a while back.” We got to chatting and Matthew — vacationing with his family, after watching me work with the grouped for a while, asked about joining us for a morning of in-the-field instruction the next day. Thus, we spent got to spend several hours together that Monday. He really paid attention to what I had to say.

As is the custom for all IPT and I-T-F participants, I invited Matthew to send some of his favorite images for a short critique. I chose four of those to feature in today’s blog post. My comments will flow each image.

Matt, your images are pretty darn good for a herps guy! (He is a herpetologist by trade.) The oystercatcher blur is lovely. Especially the background tones and layers. Bummer that that species rarely flaps. As there is too much blue at the bottom, I cropped this one for the blog.

This image was created on 10 October 2022 on a Fort DeSoto IPT by Matthew Milnes. He used the handheld Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and the vaunted Nikon Z9 Mirrorless camera body with the FTZ II Adapter Kit. ISO 1250: 1/5000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open). AWB at 9:29:33am on a partly cloudy morning. Image #2: Sandwich Tern emerging with baitfish Image courtesy of and copyright 2022: Matthew Milnes

How Much Can You Learn in a Single Morning?

Here’s what Matt had to say:

I learned a lot about finding and seeing photographic opportunities – even on a poor to mediocre day by Ft. DeSoto standards. You kept putting us in the best spot all morning long. I’ve incorporated a lot of tips from the blog posts and from Digital Basics II into my post processing routine. I look forward to another opportunity to join you for an IPT.

Matthew, the diving tern is spectacular. For the blog, I cropped a bit off the bottom. The splash is the highlight, and the image is very sharp.

6

This image was created on 10 October 2022 on a Fort DeSoto IPT by Matthew Milnes. He used the handheld Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and the vaunted Nikon Z9 Mirrorless camera body with the FTZ II Adapter Kit. ISO 1600: 1/6400 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open). AWB at 9:50:21am on a partly cloudy morning. Image #3: Sandwich Tern — tight flight Image courtesy of and copyright 2022: Matthew Milnes

The Z9 Guide

Matt purchased The Nikon Z9 Guide for Wildlife Photographers on Sunday afternoon. I sent it to him and urged him to spend some time on it that evening. He did. Here is what he had to say:

Thank you, Artie, for making the Z9 Guide available. The Setup, Photo Shooting, and Custom Menu sections offered great starting points for initial camera setup. I imagine that the guide would be immensely helpful for anyone new to Nikon, and still helpful for longtime Nikon folks transitioning from a DSLR to a mirrorless body, like me. The suggestions in the autofocus section were particularly helpful for two reasons: the Z9 has options that were not previously available in any Nikon body, and several of the default settings are likely to get in the way of shooting action.

Hey, Matt. The tight Sandwich Tern shot is excellent. It is super-sharp, and you cut the wings in just the right places (as noted in various blog posts). Maintaining accurate focus on birds in flight is a challenge for the photographer and the camera body. The Z9 rocked this one!

This image was created on 10 October 2022 on a Fort DeSoto IPT by Matthew Milnes. He used the handheld Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and the vaunted Nikon Z9 Mirrorless camera body with the FTZ II Adapter Kit. ISO 800: 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open). AWB at 10:16:30am on a cloudy morning. Image #4: Great Egret preening — high key Image courtesy of and copyright 2022: Matthew Milnes

White-on-White Delight!

Mr. Milnes, the high key Great Egret is a delight — it put a big smile on my face. I usually would not like the bird preening the far side of its neck, but the skillful white-on-white processing is so light-hearted that it works very well.

Huge thanks to Matt for joining me at DeSoto, and for sending his fine images and allowing me to share some of them with you here today.

You can purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store for $69.00. Or Call Jim weekdays at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. The Nikon Z9 Guide for Wildlife Photographers

The Nikon Z9 Guide for Wildlife Photographers/by Warren Hatch
Editorial Consultant: Arthur Morris

In this downloadable e-book (you will receive a link by e-mail), you’ll learn everything a wildlife photographer needs to know about the Nikon Z9. The Z9 is one of the most complex camera bodies ever made. In this guide, the brilliant Warren Hatch will teach you exactly how to set up your Z9 for bird, wildlife, and nature photography. The camera offers hundreds of settings and options. Selecting the right combination of these is essential in order to effectively use the Z9 in the field.

This 83-page guide, created in the tradition of the many mega-successful BIRDS AS ART Camera User’s Guides, includes:

1- Extensive information on the autofocus system and the optimal settings for the various shooting situations that wildlife photographers encounter including and especially for birds in flight.

2- The camera controls – what they do and how to customize them for your shooting style and varying conditions.

3- Configuring the camera so that you never need to take your eye from the viewfinder when the action unfolds.

5- Insights and details on using legacy F-mount lenses on the Z-9.

6- Practical advice about the camera batteries and chargers.

7- How to take advantage of the new capabilities introduced with firmware v2.00.

8- The AF-area Modes you should use and those you should avoid.

Order yours here in the BAA Online Store for $69.00. Or Call Jim weekdays at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand.

Alan Murphy on the Z9 Guide

I was excited to learn that Warren had written a guide to the Nikon Z9 as I have been learning so much about the camera from him. I’ve had the Z9 for several months. Whenever I was puzzled by my new mirrorless camera body, I’d call Warren. He always had the answer. Now, everything that he knows about this great camera body — it continues to amaze me, is available to everyone. Warren’s Z9 guide is great asset for Nikon shooters.

So Who the Heck is Warren Hatch?

When it comes to Nikon camera bodies and nature photography, Warren Hatch is not chopped liver.

Warren retired from the information technology field eight years ago. He began as a computer programmer and retired as the Chief Information Officer of a multibillion-dollar consulting firm. He has been photographing full-time since then. His images have been honored by Audubon, Nature’s Best, and other international photo contests. Like me, photography is both his profession and his passion. For decades, Warren has made a concerted effort to understand what each and every camera body feature does and believes that his in-depth knowledge of his cameras’ buttons, dials, and capabilities has improved his photography.

Because of his close ties to Nikon, Warren was one of the first in the US to get his hands on a Z9. Not to mention a Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens!

For the past ten years, Warren has extracted the encrypted metadata from the Nikon NEF (raw) files for all Nikon professional camera bodies. The metadata contains the camera settings that include detailed autofocus information that is not available in Nikon’s NX Studio. He shares the extracted metadata with Phil Harvey who uses it in his hugely popular ExifTool software.

Typos

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

Homer IPT Multiple Trip Discounts Increased

Save $1,500.00 by doing back-to-back trips. Save $2500 by doing all three trips. If you sign up with a friend or a spouse, please e-mail for couples’ discount info.

Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #3 Late Registration Discount Info

If you are interested in learning about the late registration discount offer for the third Fort DeSoto IPT, please get in touch via e-mail

On Getting Better

Consider joining me on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). The DeSoto, San Diego, Homer, and the yet-to-be announced July 2023 Jacksonville and July 2024 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime all offer the opportunity for you to dramatically improve your skills both in the field and at the computer and to make some astounding images as well. Click here and see which IPT might be best for you.

Attention NANPA Members

If you are currently a NANPA member who enjoys and benefits from your membership and would like to see the organization grow and improve, please contact me via e-mail on a matter of urgent importance.

All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK

2023 Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagle IPTs

IPT #1: MON 20 FEB 2023 through the full day on FRI 24 FEB 2023. Five full days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 2.

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: 3.

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: 2.

Save $1,500.00 by doing back-to-back trips. Save $2500 by doing all three trips.

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

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

All images from Kachemak Bay in 2022!

What You Will Learn

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 three. 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.

What’s Up?

Monday was another day of all work and no play. I’ve been swimming two half-mile sessions daily and eating very well. I was thrilled to learn that many multiple IPT-veteran John Dupps will be joining me on the second San Diego IPT and that Galapagos registrant Vasili Chernishof will be attending the first Homer IPT. With Homer now more than half full, do not wait too long if you wish to join me there.

Today is Tuesday 18 October 2022. I fly to Oklahoma City on Thursday for OKC PhotoCon. 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 two hundred-six days in a row with a new one.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

Your Call

Which of today’s two featured images do you like best? Please leave a comment and let us know why you made your choice. Thanks with love for that, artie.

Iceland

My decades-long dream of spending time with the puffins on Grimsey Island, Iceland — 13 days in this case! — will be realized this coming July. If anyone else would like information on the world’s greatest Iceland/Atlantic Puffin trip this coming July, please contact me via 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. Order yours here while they last.

Two Square Sunny Bald Eagles

This image was created on 26 February 2022 on an Instructional Photo-Tour at Kachemak Bay, Homer, AK. I used the hand held Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 280mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras. ISO 640: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 (stopped down 1 1/3-stops) in Manual mode. AWB at 2:43:09pm on a sunny afternoon. Tracking: Zone AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Bald Eagle adult beginning to dive

Exposure Basics

On cloudy days, the meter in your camera is dead-solid stupid. In situations with overall light-toned backgrounds you will need to add from two to four, yes, four, stops of light to the exposure value suggested by your in-camera metering system. That is true be it Evaluative (Canon), Matrix (Nikon), Multi-metering (Sony), or whatever is the (supposedly) most sophisticated metering pattern with your current system.

On sunny days, these same metering systems are much smarter; most of the time you will need to add or subtract only one- or two-thirds of a stop of light to make perfect exposures. Remember that when using Manual exposure mode for your bird photography (or anything else), there is no “exposure compensation” (EC). Relying on Sony’s Zebras, I rarely look at the analogue scale to note how the exposure I have set compares to the exposure suggested by the camera. The difference that you note would equate to the EC.

This image was also created on 26 February 2022 on an Instructional Photo-Tour at Kachemak Bay, Homer, AK. I used the hand held Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 249mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras. ISO 500: 1/4000 sec. at f4 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 2:46:41pm on a sunny afternoon. Tracking: Zone AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Bald Eagle adult checking things out

Homer Weather

The weather in Homer, AK in winter is incredibly variable. Daily high temperatures range from 32°F to 34°F, rarely falling below 18°F or exceeding 43°F. The daily low temperatures are around 23°F, rarely falling below 5°F or exceeding 35°F. The past few years have been unseasonably warm. Sky conditions vary tremendously and can change in minutes, and the same is true of wind speeds and directions. We do not have a set-in-stone schedule on any IPT as we adjust it daily based on the weather, the sky conditions, the wind direction and strength, and local conditions. In Homer, we meet for breakfast just as it is getting light. I look out the big window in the restaurant at Land’s End Resort, call the captain, and arrange a meeting time. And so it goes for the rest of the day as we may stay out all day or cancel. Every trip for as long as I can remember exceeds the total- hours-on-the-boat plan of four hours/day. On cloudy bright days we may photograph for as long as eight hours! And we always head out when there is a chance for decent sunset colors.

The variable weather enables you to return home with new knowledge regarding the relationship between sky conditions and the wind. In addition, and most importantly, you will learn to get the right exposure when working in conditions ranging from cloudy-dark to complete sun. Do consider joining me this winter.

Another huge learning opportunity is available to you ever day as we edit our images — pick our keepers from as many as ten thousand or more from a single session. Shooting very conservatively, I rarely exceed four or five thousand images even on a great morning. Last year some folks created from ten to more than twenty thousand images on a single day. Your understanding of ideal wing positions and flight poses will be increased exponentially. As will the total package of your photography skills.

Typos

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