Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

What’s Up?

Sunday past, the last day of the first Homer IPT, was yet another fantastic one. All but two folks from the first group are on their way home. One is staying for the second IPT, the other flies to Anchorage this afternoon, Monday 2 MAR 2020. Everyone was thrilled and sated with great eagle images. Two folks from this year’s IPT have already signed up for three sessions next year between them! I will be picking up the rest of the second IPT gang this afternoon and early evening.

With my lone day off today, I have been working a ton on the big SONY e-Guide. We get closer to completion every day.

The Sony Camera Videos and Pre-publication e-Guide Costs and Discount Info

The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. The guide is now 98% done and you will — of course, receive the final version when it is completed. I sent out the third draft today to those who have purchased the Guide with or without the discount.

Folks who have used my B&H links or purchased their SONY gear from Bedfords will receive said discount based exactly on how much they spent. If you spent more than $10,000 you will receive one free video and the e-Guide. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each. If you spent $2400, you will receive a 24% discount, and so on and so forth. And again, additional camera videos will be $25.00 each.

I will need time to verify your B&H purchases so folks will need to send their receipts and then be a bit patient. It is much easier to verify Bedfords’ purchases but I need those receipts as well.

If you have not used BAA links, please do so in the future. If that is the case and you would like the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY Pre-publication Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Please add $25 for each additional camera video. Be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.

Folks who have used BAA links to purchase their SONY gear should send their receipts to me via e-mail asap and let me know which camera videos they need. I will verify their purchases as quickly as possible and send a quote to be paid via Paypal as above.

Thanks to all who have properly used my B&H links or gone through the fabulous Steve Elkins at Bedfords, and thanks to everyone for having faith in the information that I provide, knowing that it will be the best available anywhere.

An e-mail conversation with Fred Innamorato

AM: Hi Fred,

Re:

FI: There is no need for a discount on your new SONY e-Guide. Your help over the years is so greatly appreciated.

You are most kind.

I am sure you put a lot of time and thought into making the instructional video and the e-Guide. I am also grateful for what you do.

AM: 🙂

FI: I really don’t know how I would have gotten to the level of making quality photographs that I currently am at without you … Two years ago I knew absolutely nothing about bird photography. Your book, The Art of Bird Photography is a classic that a good friend recommended. He advised me that any serious bird shooter needs to read it. Wow, that was excellent advice! It is the best and most effective instructional bird photography book I have ever read.

AM: Many thanks for your kind words and thoughts.

FI: Your Blog has educated and informed and explained the best camera equipment to purchase. From Canon to Nikon to SONY! I would have never known to make the switch from Canon to SONY. You were way ahead of the curve on this call. All my more experienced photographer friends are now moving to SONY. Who knows what you will recommend doing in the future but I completely trust your expertise and sincerity. I am lucky and grateful to have access to such knowledge and experience on a daily basis.

M: Thanks again. I just try to use the best gear for me at any given moment … Be sure to let your friends know to visit the blog to learn about SONY and to use my affiliate links.

FI It is a privilege to have the ability to email you with my questions.

That’s my job!

I will be purchasing the new guide for the full price when it is available for purchase …

AM: Please see my last mail.

FI: I also really enjoyed the fun Zebra Video you made. It was a classic artie production. It offered excellent technical advice on setting up Zebras that is not publicly available as far as I know. SONY doesn’t even offer this technical insight that you provide.

AM: You are correct sir. And know that your kind words are greatly appreciated.

FI: Anyway, I just wanted to offer some words of appreciation and thanks artie!

AM: Huge thanks again. You made my day!

With love, artie

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens (with extras!)

Price Dropped $400.00 on 2 MAR 2020

Barry McKenzie is offering a Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in excellent plus condition for a very low $2,999.00 (was $3,399.00). The sale includes the hood, the rear cap, the lens trunk, a LensCoat, the CD, two front lens covers, the Canon PL-C52 polarizer, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Photos available on request. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Barry via e-mail.

The 300mm f/2.8 lenses have long been the favorites of the world’s best hawks-in-flight photographers. And since they perform superbly with both teleconverters, they make a great workhorse lens for bird photographers who wish to handhold, especially those with crop factor bodies like the 7D Mark II or those with some of the newer Canon bodies likee the very popular Canon EOS 90D… artie

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

Capture One Screen Capture: Bald Eagle landing RAW file representation

Capture One Screen Capture

I cannot recall whether this bird was landing on a lower perch or on the ground. But in the original image capture above, the image design is not very well balanced; it certainly does not seem as if the bird would be landing on the perch … So after converting the image in Capture One, I brought the TIFF into Photoshop and decided to move the bird up and to the left in the frame after adding canvas top, left, and right. Even though the sky looks fairly even-toned it is not; there are gradations. When I tried to move the bird up and left in one fell swoop, the edges of the darker and lighter sky were obvious. Such edges are difficult to deal with. So, using the tools at my disposal, I simply moved the bird up and left in five small steps and had zero problems with the darker/lighter sky edge lines. I used techniques from ATATS 1 & 2 and from Digital Basics II and did not have to use a single Layer Mask or a single Quick Mask. I used the Patch Tool to eliminate the various wingtips that showed after each small move.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II). You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a Paypal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)

Everything mentioned above (except for Capture One RAW conversions) and tons more — including all of my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — is covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. While the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow, folks using a PC and/or BreezeBrowser will also benefit greatly by studying the material on DB II. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here. Note: all of the videos are now priced at an amazingly low $5.00 each.

You can learn how and why I converted all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. More recently, I became proficient at converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw. About two years ago I began converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One Pro 12 and continue to do so today.

To purchase Capture One, please use this link. Then you can learn more about Capture One in the Capture One Pro 12 Simplified MP4 Video here. The next step would be to get a copy of Arash Hazeghi’s “The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide” in the blog post here.

You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and edited by yours truly. Please use this link to purchase NeatImage.

To introduce folks to our MP.4 videos and the basics involved in applying more NeatImage noise reduction to the background and less on the subject, I’d be glad to send you a free copy of the Free Noise Reduction Basics MP.4 Video. Simply click to shoot me an e-mail to get your free copy.

This image was created at Kachemak Bay, AK on 25 FEB 2020. I used the hand held Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter (at 280mm) with the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body) that features incredibly accurate AF. ISO 2500. Exposure determined via Zebras on the rear wheel: 1/1600 sec. at f/4. AWB at 2:52pm on a cloudy afternoon. Wide AF-C performed beautifully. Click on the image to see a larger version. Bald Eagle landing

The Perch

While on my busman’s holiday last week photographing with friends Clemens Van der Werf and Greg Gulbransen, we discovered — in a seldom-visited lagoon — what surely must be the most beautiful perch in all of Kachemak Bay. The green and yellow lichens are to die for. I visited several more times with my first Homer group when the wind, the sky conditions, and the tides were just right. In today’s featured image, only the very top of that perch is visible in the image. More of the perch is visible in Image #1 in the last blog post here, and the whole perch can be seen in Image #2 in the same blog post. We will be visiting again with my second Homer group — we just need to make sure that we are not being followed …

The Greatest-ever Bald Eagle Experience IPTs

IPT #1: SAT 20 FEB 2021 through the full day on THURS 25 FEB MAR 1, 2021. Six full days: $5499.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 4.

IPT #2: SAT 27 FEB 2021 through the full day on WED 3 MAR 2021. Five full days: $4599.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 4

Please note the slightly revised dates for IPT #2 above.

From Homer, Alaska

We will do two 2-hour or one 4-hour photographic boat trips at Kachemak Bay each day (weather permitting). Our schedule will be flexible and driven by the wind and sky conditions. We will have numerous and varied mind-boggling opportunities to photograph Bald Eagle, a hugely popular species. We will be feeding the eagles to attract them into photographic range. The trip is costly because chartering the boat is expensive, the fish are very expensive at $1.25/pound (all on me), the costs of in-room breakfasts and one sit-down meal/day are included, hotel to dock transfers are included, as is lodging (double-occupancy). The cost of a single supplement is $90.00/night. I need to mention that two other Bald Eagle trips led by North American photographers include only breakfast and do not include lodging; this makes my trips an even greater value.

We will do lots of flight photography from the boat and on land until you can no longer lift your lens. We will get off the boat on various islands to photograph the birds both perched and in flight. It would be entirely possible to do this entire trip with just a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens and a 1.4X teleconverter. Bald Eagles take five years to reach maturity; we will get to photograph birds of all age-classes from juvenile plumage to full adults with their gleaming white heads (and everything in between). There will be numerous informal Image Editing, Photoshop, and Image Review sessions throughout each trip. As I am conversant in Canon, Nikon, and SONY I can help you better understand your gear no matter what you are shooting.

Going up earlier than all other tours this year proved to be fantastic with tons of snow on the ground to light up the eagle’s underwings. You will usually not enjoy those conditions on the March tours (unless you are very lucky). In addition, the eagles are more ravenous early in the season. In FEB 2020 we often had 30-40 or more eagles in the air around the boat with as many as 75 perched in trees or resting on the black sand beaches. Folks who want to do some photography locally during down-time may wish to rent a vehicle.

It is best to register right now to save your spot. Register for both trips and apply a $300 discount. If you have been on a previous IPT, a $100.00 discount will be applied to your balance.

A $2000 credit card deposit is required to hold your spot. Call Jim ASAP at the office weekdays at 863-221-2372 to leave your deposit. Your balance will be payable only by check no later than July 31, 2020. If you fail to pay your balance, your spot will be forfeited to someone on the waiting list and you will lose your deposit. If you plan on joining me, please e-mail immediately or try me on my cell at 863-221-2372 with any questions or to let me know of your plans. First come, first served.

Not included: your round-trip airfare from home to Homer, AK through Anchorage and back. Your second sit-down meal each day. Alcoholic beverages at our sit down meal.

On these IPTs you will learn:

• 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure (or before if you are using SONY gear).
• 2- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
• 3- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
• 4- To spot good situations and to choose the best perspective.
• 5- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
• 6- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 7- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography.
• 8- More than you could ever imagine.

If In Doubt …

If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog or Bedfords, for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.

As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

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Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).

What’s Up?

Bald Eagle photography at Kachemak Bay has continued to be phenomenal. On Thursday afternoon we took the boat to a seldom-visited bay and with a brisk southwest wind we found a relatively sheltered spot; it was an absolute slaughter as we had birds diving right at the boat and banking in front of a spectacular snow-covered mountain. Everyone photographed until they could no longer raise their lenses. Photos soon!

The first sign-up for the DeSoto IPT (below) can share my AirBNB two-bedroom place with me if that works for them.

The Greatest-ever Bald Eagle Experience IPTs

IPT #1: SAT 20 FEB 2021 through the full day on THURS 25 FEB MAR 1, 2021. Six full days: $5499.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 4.

IPT #2: SAT 27 FEB 2021 through the full day on WED 3 MAR 2021. Five full days: $4599.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 4

Please note the slightly revised dates for IPT #2 above.

Click here for complete details.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. Please understand that e-Bay prices are bogus. And the same is true of the prices of used gear including my dear friends at B&H and the other mega-outfits. They offer you pennies and then try to sell the stuff to ignorant folks for ridiculously high prices. With their huge international exposure, they occasionally find someone …

The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the 5Ds and 5Ds R, the old Canon 500mm, the EOS-7D, the Canon 200-400 with internal extender, and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. Most recently the price of used Canon 600mm f/L IS II lenses have been dropping like a rock with the introduction of the 600 III. The prices garnered for used Canon gear has tanked completely as demand has dropped tremendously. It is ironic that for decades Canon gear had very strong resale value …

Note: all BAA Used Gear sales include insured ground shipping via UPS to lower 48 US addresses only. Others who live elsewhere are invited to e-mail the seller for shipping surcharge info. Sellers should charge you only the difference between shipping to the farthest US location from their home and the charge to a non-lower-48 address.

Recent Sales

IPT veteran Cris Hamilton sold her Canon EF 600 f/4L IS III USM Lens in mint condition for $10,899.00 (was $11,499.00) to a local buyer and is kindly sending me a check for 4% as per the recently-revised Items for Sale Info e-mail.
Paul Mckenzie sold his Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM lens in mint condition (but for a very few minor blemishes on the lens hood) for the BAA record-low-by-far price of 9,999.00 (was $10,999.00) and a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II dSLR in very good condition with 95,000 actuations for the very low price of $2499.00 (was $2,899.00).
Karl Schneck sold his Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Lens in excellent plus condition for a very low $5399.00 and a Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II in excellent plus condition for a very low $3799.00, both on the second day of listing in mid-FEB 2020.
Tim McCreary sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM Telephoto lens in near-mint condition for a BAA record-low $2399.00 on the first day of listing.
Multiple IPT veteran Larry Master sold his Canon EF Extender 1.4X III (teleconverter) in excellent condition for $229.00 in mid-FEB 2020.
Craig Elson sold his Canon 400 f/4 DO IS II USM lens in excellent plus condition for $3,599.00, a Canon 300 f/4L IS USM lens in near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $499.00, a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with 13,140 actuations in excellent to near-mint condition for $1,698.00, a Canon 7D Mark II with only 7,169 actuations in near-mint condition for $649.00, a Canon 1.4x Extender EF III in mint condition for $249.00, and a Canon 2.0x Extender EF III in mint condition for $249, al on the first day of listing in mid-FEB 2020.
Joe Randle sold his Canon Speedlite 430EX II in near-mint condition for $50.00 (was $75.00) and his Canon Fisheye EF 8-15 1:4 L USM zoom lens (the “circle lens) in near-mint condition for a crazy low $549.00 (was $749.00) both in mid-FEB 2020.
Bob Lester sold his Sony A7r iii Mirrorless camera body in Very Good Plus condition (shutter count < 14,000) for only $1698.00 in mid-FEB 2020. Jim Lewis sold his Fujifilm X-T2 Mirrorless Digital camera body in-near mint condition for an incredibly low $449.00 (was $699.00) in early FEB 2020. I learned in FEB 2020 that Joe Randle sold his EF 85mm f/1.8 USM lens in excellent condition for $149.00 in mid-JAN 2020. Multiple IPT participant Sheldon Goldstein sold his Sigma Contemporary 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG Lens for Canon in like-new condition for $675.00 (was $725.00) in early FEB 2020. IPT veteran Richard Russ sold his Nikkor 105mm Micro f/2.8G AF-VR lens in near-mint condition for the very low price of $496.95 and a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Special Edition Lens lens in near-mint condition for the silly low price of $106.95. Barry McKenzie sold his Canon 2X III TC in excellent plus condition for a very low $219.00 and a Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens for Canon EF in like-new condition for a very low $449.00, both in early FEB, 2020. Paul Mckenzie sold his Canon EOS 5DS R dSLR in very good condition for only $799.00 (was $999.00), a Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM lens in good plus condition for an amazingly low $1,099.00 (was $1,499.00), and a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II dSLR in very good condition with 95,000 actuations for the very low price of $2499.00 (was $2,899.00), all on 9 FEB 2020. Barry McKenzie sold a Canon 1.4X III TC in very good condition with a single "ding" for a very low $160.00 in early February 2020. Paul Mckenzie sold his Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM lens in good plus condition for an amazingly low $1,099.00 and his Canon EF Extenders (teleconverters) 1.4X III and 2X III in excellent condition for $200 each on 6 FEB 2020. Paul Mckenzie sold his Canon EF 100-400mm L IS II USM Zoom lens in very good plus condition for $999.00 on 5 FEB 2020. BAA friend and multiple IPT veteran Paul Reinstein sold his Canon 600mm f/4L IS III lens in absolutely like-new condition (with extras) for $11,499.00 in mid-December 2020. IPT veteran Steve Leimberg sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II Lens in near-mint condition for a BAA Record-low $5400.00 (was $5,989.00) in mid-JAN.

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II

BAA Record-low Price!

Kevin Spencer is offering a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II body in near-mint condition for a BAA record-low $2,699.00. The body has only 25,914 shutter clicks. The camera was cleaned and checked by CPS on 2-20-20 and the firmware was updated as well. The sale includes the front lens cover, the strap, the CDs, cables and manuals, the original product box, one extra battery with the charger, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Kevin via e-mail or by phone at 1-410.984.3361 (Eastern time zone).

The EOS-1DX Mark II is Canon’s flagship professional camera body. I made many fine images with mine. It is rugged and fast and featured Canon’s best AF system for years. The 1DX II sells new for $5499.00 so you can save a very cool $2800.00 by grabbing Kevin’s camera right now. artie

Canon 800mm f/5.6L ISUSM Lens/with extras!

BAA Record-low Price!.

Kevin Spencer is offering a Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM lens in excellent condition for $6,799.00. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the lens trunk and key, the original tough front lens cover, a Real Tree LensCoat, drop-in polarizing filter (PL-C52), and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. The lens was cleaned and checked by CPS on 2-12-20. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Kevin via e-mail or by phone at 1-410.984.3361 (Eastern time zone).

I used this lens, often with a 1.4X TC, as my main super-telephoto lens for close to five years. It is a superb lens that offers lots of reach for those working with birds that are skittish. It is great from the car. I was astounded that about 15 of the 67 images in the San Diego exhibit (and in the 100 Best CD as well) were created with my 800. I missed it terribly for years. As the lens sells new at B&H for $12,999, Kevin’s lens is a superb buy; grab it now and save a very sweet $6200.00! artie

Canon 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4X Extender

Multiple IPT veteran Larry Master is offering a Canon 200-400 f/4L IS USM lens with internal 1.4X Extender in excellent condition for $5999.00. The lens has minor nicks and other blemishes on the finish and the lens foot. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the front lens cover, an Aquatech SoftCap, a Realtree Max4 LensCoat, an Arca-Swiss lens plate, the lens strap, the lens trunk, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Photos are available upon request. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Larry via e-mail or by phone at 1-518-645-1545 (Eastern time zone).

This is the world’s best lens for a trip to Africa. It kills also in the Galapagos and in South Georgia, the Falklands, and Antarctica. And I used mine a lot at Bosque and other dusty places where the built-in TC helps to keep your sensor clean. And I love it in the Palouse for its versatility. At one point, I found myself wishing that I had taken the 200-400 rather than my 500 II on the Bear Boat Cubs IPT. Many nature photographers use this lens as their workhorse telephoto as it offers 784mm at f/8 with an external 1.4X TC added. The lens sells new at B&H right now for $10,999; can save $5000.00 by grabbing Larry’s excellent lens along with all the great extras right now. artie

The Last One

Good friend, the incredibly talented and oft-major international-photo-contest-honored Paul Mckenzie, is switching to SONY and has sold all of his Canon gear but for the item below. As you saw in yesterday’s blog post, the 70-200 f/2.8 lenses can be deadly on flying birds, with and without the 1.4X TC.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens

Paul Mckenzie is offering a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens in good plus condition for $700.00. This lens, the first IS version, shows lots of wear but the front element is perfectly clean. The sale includes the lens hood, the soft carrying case, and insured shipping via FedEx. Your item will ship upon receipt of your wire transfer. This sale is subject to the restrictions noted here.

The 70-200 f/2.8 lenses are extremely versatile. I have a hundred uses for mine including bird-scapes, scenics, and dance recitals! They perform superbly with both teleconverters. artie

This image was created at Fort DeSoto on May 6, 2019. I used the handheld Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter (at at 560mm) and the high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 500. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode. AWB at 9:00am on sunny morning. Center Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and did a fine job of getting the eye sharp. The sharpest focus was at a point just behind and below the eye, pretty much on the exact same plane as the eye. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Snowy Egret in mega-breeding plumage — head portrait

DeSoto in Spring

There are many stunning birds in full breeding plumage in April and in early May at Fort DeSoto each year, perhaps none more beautiful than the cherry-red lored Snowy Egrets. Many species of wading birds attain their brightly colored lores (the skin in front of the eye) and other soft parts like the legs and feet when actively breeding, those changes due to increased hormonal levels. While many species like Great Egret may show the super-bright lores for a week or more, Snowy Egrets hold the brightest color only for a day or two before it begins to fade to pink.

SONY AF Tip

While center Zone AF-C worked to perfection here, understand that if I had been using Tracking Expand Spot M I could have slowly moved the lens left and created an image that included the entire raised crest … The more Patrick and I use our SONY gear, the more we love it and the more we learn about using it effectively and efficiently. We will, of course, be sharing everything that we have learned with you in the nearly-finished SONY e-Guide and Videos fairly soon. If you cannot wait and would like to purchase a pre-publication copy, please e-mail for purchase details.

If …

If you have purchased a SONY 600mm f/4 GM lens (or more than $10,000 worth of SONY gear) using a BAA link and have not received your free SONY e-Guide and Videos, please shoot me an e-mail with a copy of your receipt so that I can send it along.

Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, many in full breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left around to center: Laughing Gull landing on head of Brown Pelican, Laughing Gull in flight, Reddish Egret sunrise silhouette, Great Blue Heron with needlefish, Yellow-crowned Night Heron with ghost crab, Roseate Spoonbill, Sanderling in breeding plumage, and white morph Reddish Egret in glorious breeding plumage.

The 2020 Fort DeSoto Spring Sandbar Secrets IPT/April 22 through the morning session on April 25, 2020. 3 1/2 DAYS: $1499.00. Limit: 8 photographers

An inexpensive add-on day is available.

Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for breeding terns and gulls and wading birds in spring. Migrant shorebirds are in abundance, and many are exceedingly tame. We should have great chances on Royal and Sandwich Terns and both white- and dark-morph Reddish Egrets. 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 along with some American Oystercatchers. We will enjoy lots of great flight photography.

Again, Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left around to center: Laughing Gull in flight, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Sandwich Terns copulating, Roseate Spoonbill, Great Egret with reflection, breeding plumage Short-billed Dowitcher, American Oystercatcher, Royal Tern, white morph Reddish Egret, and Snowy Egret in marsh.

We will also get to photograph a variety of other shorebirds including Black-bellied, Semipalmated, Wilson’s, and Piping Plovers, Willet, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, most especially, Red Knot with many individuals in their handsome breeding plumages. In spring the T-shaped peninsula and the newly formed sandbar, Outback Key, are literally packed with avian treasures.
With luck, we might get to photograph one of Florida’s most desirable species: Roseate Spoonbill. And we will almost surely get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. With luck, they will have Laughing Gulls landing on their heads. And though not guaranteed, 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.

Yes, Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left around to center: breeding plumage Dunlin, dark morph Reddish Egret displaying, Laughing Gull vertical front-end portrait, Laughing Gull with prey item, landing on head of Brown Pelican, breeding plumage Royal Tern displaying, Royal Terns — pre-copulatory stance, Laughing Gulls copulating, Laughing Gull head portrait, breeding plumage Sandwich Tern with fish, and a rare treat, a breeding plumage White-rumped Sandpiper.

On the IPT you will learn:

• 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure.
• 2- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
• 3- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 4- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
• 5- To age and identify many species of shorebirds including sandpipers, plovers, dowitchers, and possibly yellowlegs.
• 6- To spot good situations and to choose the best perspective.
• 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
• 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography.
• 10- How and when to access the magical sandbar safely.
• 11- More than you could ever imagine.

You got it by now! Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left around to center: Roseate Spoonbill, immature Brown Pelican in flight, the heron/egret hybrid, American Oystercatcher feeding, immature Royal Tern on railing, Great Egret morning silhouette, Black Skimmer in surf, and underside head portrait of Great Blue Heron.

Morning sessions will run at least three to 3 1/2 hours, afternoon sessions 2 1/2 to 3 hours. There is never a set schedule on an IPT — we adapt to the conditions. There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each 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 lodiing information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).

Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:30am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving … We will be getting wet.

Payment in full is due now. Credit cards are OK for your $500 deposit. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. If you leave a deposit you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check. If you wish to pay in full right off the bat, you can make your 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, and clothing and gear advice in mid-August. Please remember that we will meet early on Saturday morning. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together are urged to e-mail for discount information.

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To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog or Bedfords, for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.

As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

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