Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

What’s Up?

Today, Saturday, 20 JUNE 2020, started off a bit foggy; perfect for flowers. I’m not sure why I drove around the block. but in an abandoned field, I spotted some skinny sunflower types and spent about an hour with that little stand. Then I headed for one of my favorite spots at the end of Lantana and spent another hour poking around. After I got home I had my usual breakfast of smoked salmon and Philly cream cheese with Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning on top. Then I began work on this blog post, took a nap, did my cardio-bursts, worked some more on this post,did a bit on the Stairmaster, swam my usual 66 lengths, had my early dinner, and finished this blog post. In other words, same old same old …

Sony a7r iii Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

BAA Record-low By-Far Price!

Anita North is offering a Sony a7 r iii Mirrorless Digital Camera body in excellent plus condition (but for a single nick on the lower-left corner of the rear monitor) for the BAA record-low-by-far price of $1198.00. The sale includes an a74 iv original box, the battery charger (but not the battery), the front body cover, the strap, and insured ground shipping via major courier (to lower-48 US addresses only). The camera has the above-mentioned nick on the rear monitor, no battery, and no eye-cup.. The camera is, however, in perfect operating condition. Your item will not ship until your check has cleared the bank unless other arrangements are made. (Paypal +4% is fine with same-day shipping).

Please contact artie via e-mail or on his cell at 863-221-2372 before 4pm Eastern time. Please leave a message or text if no answer.

A SONY a7r iii served me well as my workhorse camera body on the last Galapagos trip. It would make a perfect starter camera for folks looking to get started with SONY. The a7r iii sells new for $2,498.00 at B&H so you can save a ridiculous $1300.00 by grabbing Anita’s camera body now. artie

This image was created by Anita North with the Nikon 600mm f/4 VR lens and a D850. Green Jay, Roma, TX

Anita North’s Shooting Style

Anita North is a skilled photographer. Over the years, you have seen some of her great images here on the blog. When it comes to pressing the shutter button, she is the most aggressive photographer I have ever run into. Her basic rule is If it’s in the viewfinder, press the shutter button and hold it down!. As you might expect, she often gets far behind with picking her keepers.

Anita shoots a ton of frames but her style works well for her. On occasion, she comes up with something magical — like the image above — that most folks — including and especially me — would miss. If you are considering purchasing either of the well-used camera bodies below, do know that the D850 shutters are rat4d to “200,000 cycles.” As both of Anita’s D850s exceed that (one by miles), that statement is obviously just an estimate. Though I do not shoot nearly as much as Anita, I have never — in my 36 years of photographing birds — had a shutter fail. Neither has Anita. I would not bet against the shutters on either of the camera bodies below might very well outlast the photographer whoo purchases one of them …

In Anita’s “defense,” both bodies look a lot better than one would expect after learning the shutter counts. That because she shoots a ton in each session but over the years, not that many shooting sessions. If that makes any sense. Best of all, each body is bargain priced to sell.

Nikon D850 dSLR #1

Silly Low Price!

Anita North is offering a Nikon D850 dSLR in excellent plus condition for the silly low price of $1398.95 (shutter count 222,223). The rubber eye-cup is missing so there is a bit of wear showing on the metal of the eye-cup. The camera is, however, in perfect working condition. The sale includes the original box, the battery charger, one extra (brand new) Nikon battery, the front body cover, the strap, and insured ground shipping via major courier (to lower-48 US addresses only). Your item will not ship until your check has cleared the bank unless other arrangements are made. (Paypal +4% is fine with same-day shipping).

Please contact artie via e-mail or on his cell at 863-221-2372 before 4pm Eastern time. Please leave a message or text if no answer.

The D-850 was my vary favorite Nikon camera body. It has a superb AF system and gorgeous 44MP image files. The D850 sells new for $2,996.95 at B&H so you can save a ridiculous $1900.00 by grabbing Anita’s camera body now. Replacing the shutter if need be will cost you less than $300.00. artie

Nikon D850 dSLR #2

Silly Low Price!

Anita North is offering a Nikon D850 dSLR in very good condition for the silly low price of $1098.95 (shutter count 410,710). There are some scuff marks on the corners and the bottom of the camera but otherwise, the camera looks to be in excellent condition. A 1 x 1/8″ strip of the rubber finish is missing on the flash-card door. The sale includes the original box, the battery charger, two extra Nikon batteries, the front body cover, and insured ground shipping via major courier (to lower-48 US addresses only). The camera has the above-mentioned nick on the rear monitor, no battery, and no eye-cup. The camera, however, is in perfect working condition. Your item will not ship until your check has cleared the bank unless other arrangements are made. (Paypal +4% is fine with same-day shipping).

Please contact artie via e-mail or on his cell at 863-221-2372 before 4pm Eastern time. Please leave a message or text if no answer.

The D-850 was my vary favorite Nikon camera body. It has a superb AF system and gorgeous 44MP image files. The D850 sells new for $2,996.95 at B&H so you can save a ridiculous $1900.00 by grabbing Anita’s camera body now. Replacing the shutter if need be will cost you less than $300.00. artie

Nikon TC-E17 II (1.7X Teleconverter)

Anita North is offering a Nikon TC-E17 II (1.7X teleconverter) in like-new condition for a very low $196.95. The sale includes the original box, the front and rear caps, the pouch, and insured ground shipping via major courier (to lower-48 US addresses only). Your item will not ship until your check has cleared the bank unless other arrangements are made. (Paypal +4% is fine with same-day shipping).

Please contact artie via e-mail or on his cell at 863-221-2372 before 4pm Eastern time. Please leave a message or text if no answer.

I used the TC-E-17 II often with both my 600mm f/4 VR and my 500mm f/5.6 PF lenses. It currently sells new at B&H for $396.95 so you can save a nifty $200.00 on this item. artie

Nikon TC-E20 III (2X Teleconverter)

Anita North is offering a Nikon TC-E20 III (2X teleconverter) in like-new condition for a very low $246.95. The sale includes the original box, the front and rear caps, the pouch, and insured ground shipping via major courier (to lower-48 US addresses only). Your item will not ship until your check has cleared the bank unless other arrangements are made. (Paypal +4% is fine with same-day shipping).

Please contact artie via e-mail or on his cell at 863-221-2372 before 4pm Eastern time. Please leave a message or text if no answer.

I did make some sharp images with the TC-E-20 III with my 600mm f/4 VR lens. This, the third and best version of the Nikon 2X TC, fits well with the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR and the 300mm f/2.8 VRR lenses. It currently sells new at B&H for $496.95 so you can save a smooth $250.00 on this item. artie

Nikon Battery Grip & Charger Kit w/ two extra batteries!

Anita North is offering this virtually impossible-to-find-in-stock kit for a very low $1148.00. Some folks have been on waiting lists for more than one year. The sale includes the Nikon MB-D18 Multi-Power Battery Pack with EN-EL18c Battery Kit, a Nikon BL-5 Battery Chamber Cover for MB Battery Packs, the Nikon MH-26aAK Adapter Kit (that includes a BT-A10 adapter and an MH-26a dual battery charger), and two extra N-EL18b Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Batteries. Everything is in new condition. The sale includes the original boxes for the Battery Grip & the Charger and insured ground shipping via major courier (to lower-48 US addresses only). Your item will not ship until your check has cleared the bank unless other arrangements are made. (Paypal +4% is fine with same-day shipping).

These items sell new right now for approximately $1488.00 (but only if you are super-lucky enough to find these items in stock) …

Please contact artie via e-mail or on his cell at 863-221-2372 before 4pm Eastern time. Please leave a message or text if no answer.

Helping you achieve the most from your D850 DSLR, the Nikon MB-D18 Multi-Power Battery Pack with EN-EL18c Battery Kit from B&H includes the accessories needed to achieve a 9-fps continuous shooting rate, as well as extended battery life with up to 5140 shots per charge. This kit comprises the dedicated MB-D18 battery grip for the D850, an EN-EL18c rechargeable lithium-ion battery, a BL-5 Battery Chamber Cover, and the MH-26aAK Adapter Kit and Battery Charger. The Nikon MH-26aAK Adapter Kit includes a BT-A10 adapter and an MH-26a dual battery charger and allows you to charge two of the large batteries at the same time. artie & B&H

What’s Up?

On Wednesday morning, I headed out determined to photograph some birds and did just that. I worked two different Great Egrets on the pier railings, one from my SUV and one on foot using the pier-as-blind technique. Then again working from my Sequoia, I photographed the tame colts. All of the birds were photographed at 1200mm. It was a good morning even though I did not photograph a single flower.

Only six folks wrote a critique of my image in the Let’s Play BPN. On Doing Critiques. And the Two-way Benefits of Critiquing … blog post here. I’d urge everyone — a guy can dream, can’t he?) — not only to re-visit and try their hand at doing a critique, but to follow the link to the BPN thread of the same image (here). Why? There is so, so much to learn.

One thing that you might come away with after checking the BPN link is that I, Mr. Famouos Bird Photographer, am glad to have my work critiqued by others, even after 36 years of Avian photography. Why? The boys and girls on BPN made at least two suggestions that helped me improve the image.

In the past two days, I encountered two folks with quite different attitudes toward having their images evaluated by others.

One, after I suggested that he might wish to join BPN, e-mailed as follows: I’m cheap, and I don’t like joining groups. And I’m not that keen on (taking) criticism either. This from someone who has spent probably $100,000 on camera gear in the past year or two and rarely makes even a half-way decent image …

The other, a BPN member who professes a great desire to improve, wrote Frankly, my type-A personality felt a little exposed when you posted the (over-exposed) original to the thread. I, as many, am a little self-conscious and at times feel out of my league but I’m getting much better day by day I believe.. When I reply to his mail I will suggest that he get over it. Having your images critiqued is the best way to learn to improve your photography. And BTW, his work has been improving by leaps and bounds over the past two months.

The video for the RawDigger Flower (static subject) Exposure e-Guide by Arthur Morris and Patrick Sparkman is finished and the written portion of the guide is out for review as I type.

This image was created on 2 JUNE 2020 in front of my house at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used the Induro GIT 404L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sigma APO Macro 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM lens for Nikon F with the Vello Select Nikon F Lens to Sony E-Mount Camera Auto Lens Adapter (Firmware Ver. 6) and the 61-MP Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 400. Exposure determined by experimentation with the best exposure determined by RawDigger: 1/15 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:11am on a cloudy-bright morning. Manual Focus using techniques from the SONY e-Guide. Click on the image to see a larger version. Magnolia bud detail abstract

What the ? Image #2

In the What the ? blog post here, I posted this:

Image #2: What is It?

If you have an idea as to what is pictured in the image above, please leave a comment and be as specific as possible.

Karen Mc was the first to answer correctly when she commented in part:

#2 is an emerging Southern Magnolia.

Next was Ravi Hirekatur who wrote:

#2 looks like a close up of magnolia flower with its fuzzy sepals.

Last to the party was Stephen Aveling-Rowe. He posted:

#2 resembles a magnolia of some description with it’s bud-cap. I am reasonably certain that the brown hairy part was the covering for the developing bud.

My reply to his comment:

Yes, those are the sepals.

As far as Image #1, there were some comical answers but none that are even close. I was worried that lots of folks would identify it in zero point one seconds … The answer will be revealed here soon.