Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Image Questions

#1: Of the four featured images, which is your favorite. All are invited to leave a comment and let us know why they made their choice.

#2: Which basic compositional rule did I break when I created the second and the fourth images?

What’s Up?

Today is Friday 12 November 2021. I was out of bed well before 6am. It was pouring when I got up. Just for fun, I checked the Weather.com for ILE: cloudy with no chance of rain. You would at least think that they could look out the window … It is supposed to be cloudy this afternoon so I will be heading back to my new favorite trail at Circle B Bar Preserve. See more on this exciting location below. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took more than four hours to prepare.

Remember that 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 save 3% 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.

I created this image on 4 November at Circle B Bar Preserve in Lakeland, FL. While standing, I used the Levered-clamp Flexshooter Pro/Induro GIT 304L tripod-mounted Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/40 sec. at f/16 (stopped down 2 2/3 stops) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the brightness of the raw file was perfect. AWB at 2:55pm on a cloudy afternoon. Tracking: Spot (S) AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and worked perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the hi-res version. Image #1: Bark detail: Pond (or Bald) Cypress

Circle B Bar Preserve Revelation

As previously noted here, I spent last Thursday afternoon walking a previously un-visted-before-by-me trail at the Circle B Bar Preserve in Lakeland, FL. It was a beautiful walk through what seemed like a pristine marsh and an ancient cypress swamp. Best of all, there were lots of Anhingas, Common Gallinules, Ospreys, Great Blue Herons, along with a variety of other wading birds. If you own a copy of the BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide that I did with Joe Przybyla and would like information on this newly discovered trail, shoot me proof of purchase via e-mail with the word’s “Latest Info on Circle B Bar” in the Subject line.

Why Put the Sony 200-600 G Lens on a Tripod?

I take great delight in heading out to the beach with just the hand held Sony 200-600 G lens and an a1. Hand holding allows a tremendous amount of freedom and allows you to get into position and set up a shot much more easily than when working with the tripod-mounted 600mm f/4 GM lens. The 2-6 focuses much closer than the 600 f/4. On sunny days, the f/6.3 maximum aperture (at the longer focal lengths) is not a bother at all. And with good sharpness techniques, you can work with the 1.4X teleconverter as well.

But when working in low light conditions on cloudy days or in the woods, putting the 2-6 on a tripod is pretty much a necessity. The bark detail image above was created at 600mm with a shutter speed of 1/40 second. Most folks would be up the creek without the proverbial paddle with those settings. For me, a tripod was a necessity for Image #1 and for the three Anhinga images below as well.

200-600 owners have two options when they need to mount this very versatile zoom lens on a tripod. They can go with the Wimberley P-35 Lens Plate as I do, or with the Wimberley AP-620 Replacement Low Foot for Sony. Learn why and more in the next two items below.

Figure 1: Wimberley P-35 Plate properly positioned and mounted on the Sony 200-600 G lens

My Choice for the 200-600: the Wimberley P-35 Lens Plate

Because I hand hold this lens most of the time, I want to be able to remove the lens foot with the plate attached to save weight when I am working without a tripod. If there is a chance that I will be using the Panning Ground Pod, I will stick the foot/plate combo into a pocket, my vest, or my fanny pack so that I can grab it when needed.

Mounting the foot/plate combo onto the lens via the quick release mechanism is a snap. Many folks complain that this arrangement is unsafe, unstable, and insecure. I disagree, but only 100%. If you finger-tighten the double-ended lever properly, you are good to go and will never have a problem.

The P-35 lens plate is a 5.0” long, double dovetail, Arca-Swiss style quick- release plate. It is used to connect a camera lens, fitted with both a rotation collar and tripod mounting foot, to a compatible quick-release clamp. Wimberley plates are compatible with most Arca-Swiss style quick-release clamps, such as those made by Wimberley, Really Right Stuff, Kirk Enterprises, Markins, Arca-Swiss, Foba, Graf and others.

When the plate is mounted fully forward as shown in the diagram above, this two-screw lens plate matches up perfectly with the Sony 200-600. The needed bushing is included. The plate remains fully within the jaws of the clamp of the Levered-clamp Flexshooter Pro even when your rig is at maximum back-heaviedness (to coin a phrase). You are at maximum back-heaviedness when you are using an a1 body with the battery grip and the 2X TC. With all other combinations, you will need to move the plate back in the clamp to properly balance your rig. And there is plenty of room on the plate at the front even when you are using only the bare a1 on the 200-600.

You can order your P-35 plate here in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store.

Figure 2: Wimberley AP-620 Replacement Low Foot for Sony

Right for Some: the Wimberley AP-620 Replacement Low Foot for Sony

For folks who use their 200-600s on a tripod all or most of the time, the Wimberley AP-620 Replacement Low Foot for Sony is clearly the best choice. This low foot is very light at only 4.5 ounces and like all the Wimberley stuff, is elegantly designed. It is secured to the lens via a single 1/4-20 screw and thus, is no longer quick-release removable.

The AP-620 Replacement Foot fits the Sony 200-600 f/5.6 lens and serves three main purposes:

1. It is somewhat stiffer than the factory tripod mounting foot connected to a lens plate, thus reducing flex and vibration (or not …)

2. Functions as the Arca-Swiss style lens plate.

3. Creates the ideal geometry for using your lens on the Levered-clamp Flexshooter Pro and, as above, allows you to balance your rig optimally.

Note: Wimberley lens plates are compatible with Arca-Swiss style quick-release clamps such as those made by Wimberley, Kirk Enterprises, Really Right Stuff, Arca-Swiss, Markins, and others. I use the Wimberley P-20 Plate on my Sony 100-400, the Sony 70-200, and my Canon 180mm macro lens and recommend it for most intermediate and zoom telephoto lenses.

You can order your AP-620 Low Foot here in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store.

I created this image on 4 November at Circle B Bar Preserve in Lakeland, FL. While standing, I used the Levered-clamp Flexshooter Pro/Induro GIT 304L tripod-mounted Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 467mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/320 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the brightness of the raw file was perfect. AWB at 3:39pm on a cloudy afternoon. Tracking: upper center Zone AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and worked perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the hi-res version. Image #2: Anhinga, female in Pond (or Bald) Cypress

Anhingas and the Cypress Trees

On my new favorite Circle B Bar Reserve Trail, it seemed that there were Anhingas perched everywhere, often in the Bald or Pond Cypresses. Thanks to my friend John Bradford for this:

I am guessing that it is Pond Cypress, but don’t bet the bank on it. Many botanists consider Pond and Bald Cypress to only be varieties of the same species, Taxodium distichum, so it can be hard to tell one from the other.

Image #2 was made from one of two short boardwalks that protrude into the lake that lies just southeast of the trail.

I created this image on 4 November at Circle B Bar Preserve in Lakeland, FL. While standing, I used the Levered-clamp Flexshooter Pro/Induro GIT 304L tripod-mounted Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 200mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/320 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the brightness of the raw file was perfect. AWB at 3:40pm on a cloudy afternoon. Tracking: upper center Zone AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and worked perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the hi-res version. Image #3: Anhinga, female in Pond (or Bald) Cypress

Cypress Tree Bird-scape

Without moving the tripod, I simply zoomed out to create a lovely bird-scape. Tracking Zone AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF performed remarkably with all three Anhinga image by finding and tracking the bird’s eye no matter how I varied the composition.

I created this image on 4 November at Circle B Bar Preserve in Lakeland, FL. While standing, I used the Levered-clamp Flexshooter Pro/Induro GIT 304L tripod-mounted Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 200mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/250 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the brightness of the raw file was perfect. AWB at 3:47pm on a cloudy afternoon. Tracking: upper center Zone AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and worked perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the hi-res version. Image #4: Anhinga, female in Pond (or Bald) Cypress

The 200-600 on the Tripod!

Again, I need to stress the point that for most of us mortals, the Sony 200-600 needs to be on a tripod when you are photographing birds in low light. There are a few young, hero hand holders who can routinely make sharp images at relatively slow shutter speeds when standing and working at focal lengths in the 200-600 range, but I am not one of them.

The BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide You can purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store.

The BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide

126 pages, 87 photographs by Joe Przybyla and Arthur Morris.
The PDF for this e-Guide is an electronic download sent via e-mail.

Purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store.

I had thought about doing a guide to some of the great but little-known photo hotspots around central Florida for about a decade, but those plans never came to fruition. I met Joe online in the Avian Forum at BirdPhotographer’s.Net about two years ago. Joe’s photography has improved tremendously over the past few years; he credits the BAA blog, my books and PDFs, and his participation on BPN. The one thing that I learned right from the get-go about Joe is that he is a hard and tenacious worker, always striving to improve his skills and to grow his knowledge base. As he knew of more than a few good spots in central Florida, I broached the idea of us doing a photographic site guide that covered many of the little-known photographic hotspots from Brandon to Lakeland to Joe Overstreet Road to Indian Lake Estates (my Florida home for the past 20 years or so). After more than many, many dozens of hours of effort, The BIRDS AS ART Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide is now a reality. Thanks to Joe’s wife Dottie for her review of our writing. We all learned once again that writing is a process, a back and forth process. All thanks to the white pelicans of Lakeland. Here are the locations that are detailed in this e-Guide:

• Indian Lake Estates: Sandhills Cranes with chicks and colts, lots of vultures, and Ospreys up the kazoo!
• Gatorland, Kissimmee: Learn to make great images of wading birds in a cluttered rookery.
• The Brandon Rookery: Great for nesting Wood Storks, Great Egrets, and more.
• Circle Bar B Reserve, Lakeland: Here you will find a great variety of avian subjects in a great variety of habitats.
• Lake Morton, Lakeland: There are lots of silly tame birds here including and especially American White Pelican during the colder months.
• Lake Mirror, Lakeland: Tame Anhingas, Limpkins, and a zillion White Ibises at times.
• West Lake Parker, Lakeland: Here you will have a chance for two difficult birds, Snail Kite, and Purple Gallinule.
• Joe Overstreet Road, Kenansville: Crested Caracara, meadowlarks, Loggerhead Shrike, and much more on the fenceposts and barbed wire.

Each location includes a map, a detailed description of the best spots, best season, light and time of day instructions, the expected species, and an educational and inspirational gallery that is designed to open your eyes as to the possibilities.

You can purchase a copy here in the BAA Online Store.

Typos

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

Picking Your Keepers: A Third Resting Brown Pelican Image Edit

Before you scroll down, watch the less-than 3-minute video and see if you can choose what I thought was the best of the five images. Then keep reading.

What’s Up?

Again. Not much. On Tuesday I finished the second edit of my October 2021 image folder. I began with 1774 raw files and got that down to 503 after deleting 1271. And the truth be told, things would be better if I cut the 503 by at least another 200 …

Today is Wednesday 10 November. I will be heading to Sebastian Inlet early on Thursday. If you would like to join me there, please get in touch asap via e-mail: $400 for three plus hours of in-the-field instruction with tame Wood Storks along with some terns, gulls, shorebirds, herons and egrets as back-up subjects (if need be). There is an option for a working lunch with image review and/or a (weather dependent) afternoon session as well. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about three hours to prepare (including the time creating the new YouTube video above).

Remember that 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 save 3% 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.

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 on items priced at $1,000 or more. 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%. The minimum item price is $1000 (or less for a $50 flat-fee). If you are interested, please scroll down here to read the terms. Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice only to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past years, we have sold many hundreds of items. Do know that prices for used gear only go in one direction. Down. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

If you would like to learn about selling your used gear on the BAA Used Gear Page, click here.

New Bedfords BAA Discount Info

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy free Overnight Fed-Ex Air shipping for orders over $1,000.00 and free Second Day Fed-Ex Air shipping for orders under $1,000.00.

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 free Fed-Ex Air shipping as above, 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 use it qualify for the free Fed-Ex Air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 links on the blog (including the logo-link immediately above). My link works with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

Please Remember Also

Please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

This image was created at La Jolla, CA on 4 January 2020 while scouting for the 2020 San Diego IPT>. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 430mm) and the original AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body ISO 1250. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that this image was about 1/3 stop under; that info helps me to correctly adjust the Exposure slider during the raw conversion in ACR. AWB at 3:53pm on a sunny afternoon. Flexible Spot: M/ AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and worked just fine. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the hi-res version. Image #1: Brown Pelican resting on branch

And the Winner Was!

I thought that the fifth image was the strongest because the bird gave us a good look at its face in that one. I liked the one where we saw a bit of the red bill pouch, but we could not see either eye well. Which one did you choose?

Note that I executed a small crop from the left and from below and that I eliminated one of the nubs on the perch, the large one on the left just below the bird.

The Situation

I take pride in my ability to find a good image in seemingly impossible situations. At first glance, there seemed to be no chance to get a lens on this bird as there was a huge bush between where I stood on the sidewalk and the perched pelican. But with the lovely distant background — the dark water in the cove below, I was determined to find a way. By carefully examining the intervening greenery I was able to spot a small opening in the vegetation. With room for one person. By hand holding and getting as tall as possible, I was able to get a clear shot.

In situations like this on an IPT, I do my best to give everyone a chance to get the shot. When the bird is resting or sleeping, that is easy to do. By joining an IPT, you can learn to spot good, excellent, and great situations. And tons more ..

The ACR screen capture for the Brown Pelican resting on branch image

Big Improvements Begin During the Raw Conversion

Whether you do your raw conversions in Photoshop with Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), in Capture One, in Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) 4, in Lightroom (again with ACR), or elsewhere, you can make dramatic improvements in your image during this process. No matter the program you use, the sliders are quite similar. It is best to make as many improvements as possible before the raw file is converted.

I was fine with the As Shot White Balance. Then, guided by the evaluation of the raw file in RawDigger, I began by moving the Exposure slider to the right to +0.35. Of note is that I had to move the Black slider to the right to open up the darker tones. With most images we need to move the Black slider to the left. Then I darkened the green water by (atypically) moving the Shadow slider to the left. But for increasing the Saturation to =5, the rest is pretty much by the book.

Remember that except for the Black and White sliders, most of the sliders are moved to your taste for each individual image and that you will be using different values for all except for images created in the same light in a given situation. For those you can hit Control + left click and select Apply Previous Settings from the dropdown menu.

You can learn the basics of making ACR raw conversions (and tons more) in BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail.

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.

The 2022 San Diego Brown Pelicans (and more!) IPT. Monday 17 January thru the morning session on Friday 21 January 2022. Four full and one-half day: $2999.00. Deposit: $899.00. Limit: 8 photographers/Openings: 6

If you missed the San Diego: A Bird Photographer’s Paradise video on YouTube, be sure to check it out video here.

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 with eggs and possibly chicks) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Duck; 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 (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lions. 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 (relatively) healthy bread.

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 the exposure situation 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 and to 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 is 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 all of those opportunities. And depending on the weather and local conditions and 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

This IPT will include five three hour morning photo sessions, four one and one-half afternoon photo sessions, four working brunches that will include image review and Photoshop sessions. On rare cloudy day occasions, we may — at my 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.

An $899 deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART”) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 3385, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due right after you sign up.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for both big international trips and US-based IPTs is highly recommended as we never know what life has in store for us. I strongly recommend that you purchase quality travel insurance. Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options you can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that expands the list of reasons for your canceling to include things such as sudden work or family obligation and even a simple change of mind. My family and I use and depend on the great policies offered by TIS whenever we travel. You can learn more here: Travel Insurance Services. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check or running your credit card. Whenever purchasing travel insurance, be sure to read the fine print carefully even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.

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.

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 :).

My Used Canon EOS R5

If you purchased my Canon EOS R5, please get in touch with me via e-mail. I have lost track of that sale. 🙁

What’s Up?

Not much. On Sunday, it dawned cold and clear, a crisp 52 degrees. The pool was down five degrees overnight. Can winter in Florida be far behind? I worked on a few old images and lots of Used Gear listings. And I watched lots of NFL games on Tivo.

All are invited to leave a comment letting us know which of today’s two featured images is their favorite, and why.

So what’s with the title of today’s blog post? The Used Gear Page has been going great guns. I learned yesterday that David Rice sold all of his Nikon gear to a single buyer just two days after it was listed. And there are lots more great Nikon and Sony bargains below. I dug up two very fine images from my 2019 Galapagos trip, one made with the Nikon 500 PF, and one with the Sony a7R III, the 1.4X TC, and the FE 100-400mm. A used copy of each of those items is available for sale below. Running good images made with the gear for sale often results in a quick sale. Thus the “snake oil salesman” reference.

A bit more on the Used Gear page: in a somewhat volatile market, with many folks abandoning Canon and Nikon like rats from a sinking ship, I pride myself in being able to price stuff to sell fairly quickly while at the same time getting close to maximum fair value for the seller. More than ninety-nine times out of a hundred, you will get substantially more selling your used gear on on the BAA Used Gear Page than you would by selling it to the big boys or trading it in to your local camera store …

Today is Monday 8 November 2021. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took a long time to prepare, probably well more than five hours.

This Just In!

I woke early on Monday to learn that many of the items that were slated to be listed today, had sold overnight, most to a single buyer. But there are still lots of great Nikon bargains below. If you are looking for a specific item, please shoot me an e-mail with Wanted to Buy as the Subject line and I will let you know how that works.

Remember that 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 save 3% 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.

New Bedfords BAA Discount Info

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy free Overnight Fed-Ex Air shipping for orders over $1,000.00 and free Second Day Fed-Ex Air shipping for orders under $1,000.00.

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 free Fed-Ex Air shipping as above, 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 use it qualify for the free Fed-Ex Air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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.

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 on items priced at $1,000 or more. 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%. The minimum item price is $1000 (or less for a $50 flat-fee). If you are interested, please scroll down here to read the terms. Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice only to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past years, we have sold many hundreds of items. Do know that prices for used gear only go in one direction. Down. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

If you would like to learn about selling your used gear on the BAA Used Gear Page, click here.

New Nikon Listings

Nikon D850 dSLR & MB-D-18 Battery Pack

Sale Pending within one hour of listing

BAA friend Fred Innamorato is offering a Nikon D850 dSLR in near-mint condition with tons of extras for an incredibly, ridiculously low $2096.95. The sale includes the original box, the front body cap, the strap, the USB cord, the battery charger, the manuals, a Nikon MB-D-18 Multi Power Battery Pack (a $396.95 value), the BL-5 Battery Chamber Cover (a $26.95 value), the original EL 15 (and three extra) batteries (a $218.85 value), the original charger, two (2) Nikon EL 18C batteries (a $339.90 value), the Watson Dual Charger (a $99.00 value), and insured Fed Ex Ground (signature required) shipping. Your item will not ship until your check has cleared unless otherwise arranged.

Please contact Fred via e-mail or by phone at 1-216-978-6369 (Eastern time).

When I shot Nikon, I used and loved my two D850 bodies while my D5 sat on a shelf in the garage, unused. In addition, I used the MB-D-18 Battery Pack that served as a vertical grip. As the D850 sells new for $2,996.95, and the battery grip extras total $1299.60 (if my math is correct), you can save $2,199.60! Thus, Fred’s package represents an amazing value. artie

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR Lens

Sale Pending within one hour of listing

BAA friend Fred Innamorato is offering a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens in near-mint condition for a very low $2796.95. The sale includes the original box, the front and rear lens caps, the lens strap, and insured Fed Ex Ground (signature required) shipping. Your item will not ship until your check has cleared unless otherwise arranged.

Please contact Fred via e-mail or by phone at 1-216-978-6369 (Eastern time).

Taking exceptionally long reach and giving it a hand-holdable form factor, this 500mm prime utilizes a unique Phase Fresnel element to greatly reduce the size and weight compared to previous versions of the focal length.

This PF element, along with three extra-low dispersion elements, also helps to virtually eliminate color fringing and chromatic aberrations in order to achieve a high degree of clarity, sharpness, and color fidelity. Complementing this advanced optical design, individual elements also feature both Nano Crystal and Super Integrated Coatings to suppress flare and ghosting, as well as a protective fluorine coating to guard the optical system from dust and moisture. Nikon & B&H

The Nikon PF series telephoto lenses are tremendously popular as they are relatively small and light and offer great reach. Both do well with the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III. On my bucket list trip for the Emperor Penguins I brought two D850 bodies, the 500 PF, and the Nikon 80-400 VR lenses! The 500 PF is still hard to come by and sells new for $3,596.95. At $2796.95, Fred’s lens is a steal! artie

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR Lens

Sale Pending within one hour of listing

BAA friend Fred Innamorato is offering a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 300mm f4E PF ED VR lens in near-mint condition for a very low $1,396.95. The sale includes the original box, the front and rear lens caps, the lens strap, and insured Fed Ex Ground (signature required) shipping. Your item will not ship until your check has cleared unless otherwise arranged.

Please contact Fred via e-mail or by phone at 1-216-978-6369 (Eastern time).

Combining long reach and a portable form factor, the AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR from Nikon is a prime telephoto that features a unique Phase Fresnel element to greatly reduce the size and weight compared to other 300mm lenses. This element, along with one extra-low dispersion glass element, also helps to greatly reduce chromatic aberrations and color fringing for improved clarity and color accuracy. Individual elements also feature both Nano Crystal and Super Integrated Coatings to suppress flare and ghosting, as well as a protective fluorine coating to guard the optical system from dust and moisture. Nikon & B&H

The Nikon PF series telephoto lenses are tremendously popular as they are relatively small and light. Both do well with the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III. I never owned or use this lens but BAA-friend Anita North did and loved hers, especially when working with tame birds at close range and in Africa. The 300 PF is still hard to come by and sells new for $1,996.95. At $1,396.95, Fred’s lens is a great bargain. artie

Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III

Sale of two Pending within one hour of listing

BAA friend Fred Innamorato is offering a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III in like-new condition for a the BAA record-low price of $245.95. The sale includes the original box, the front and rear caps, the pouch, and insured Fed Ex Ground (signature required) shipping. Your item will not ship until your check has cleared unless otherwise arranged.

Please contact Fred via e-mail or by phone at 1-216-978-6369 (Eastern time).

As regular readers know, I always traveled with two or three teleconverters no matter which system I was using. This TC sells new for $496.95 so you can save a very nice $251.00 by grabbing this one today. artie

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR Lens

Used Gear Page regular Karen McCormick is offering a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR lens in excellent condition a very low $6750.00. The sale includes the hard case, the front and rear lens caps, and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Karen via e-mail e-mail.

I never had the pleasure of owning this lens, the latest/greatest version of Nikon 500mm f/4 lens, I never had the pleasure of owning this lens, the latest/greatest version of Nikon 500mm f/4 lens, but I loved all of my Canon 500mm f/4s. They were lighter, easier to travel with, and focused closer than the 600mm f/4s. As it sells new for $10,296.95, you can save a very nice $3546.95 by grabbing Karen’s lens asap.. artie

Nikon D850 dSLR

BIRDS AS ART Record Low Price
Sale Pending within two hours of listing

Used Gear Page regular Karen McCormick is offering a Nikon D850 in excellent condition for the BAA record-low price of $1750.00. The sale includes the original box, the front and rear lens caps, the lens case, and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Karen via e-mail e-mail.

When I shot Nikon, I used and loved my two D850 bodies while my D5 sat on a shelf in the garage, unused … Still in production, the D850 sells new for $2,996.95. You can find several used copies on B&H for more than $2400.00, or you can save $1246.95 by opting to purchase from Karen. artie

Nikon Price Drop!

Nikkor 600mm AF-S F4 ED VR Lens

Price Reduced $550.00 on 8 NOV 2021

Used Gear Page regular William Dummitt is offering a Nikkor 600mm AF-S F4 ED VR lens in excellent condition for $4649.95 (was $5199.95). The lens would be excellent plus, but for the fact that the fully functional, Arca-Swiss compatible Kirk replacement low foot shows cosmetic wear. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the lens trunk, the original front lens cover, the manual, and insured ground shipping via UPS to lower-48 US addresses only. The original foot is not included. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Bill via e-mail or by phone at 1-314-918-0720 (Eastern time).

The 600mm f/4 lenses have long been the weapons of mass destruction for bird photographers. Especially when paired with a 1.4X teleconverter. This identical lens in 8+ condition is being offered for 6,099.95 here at B&H. If you are on a budget and looking for a Nikkor 600mm f/4 lens, grab Bill’s lens now and save a very handsome $900.00 off the B&H used price. artie

The AF-S 600mm f/4G ED VR Lens from Nikon is a high performance fast super telephoto prime lens for Nikon F mount cameras. It is compatible with both FX- and DX-format DSLRs and provides 900mm focal length equivalence on DX-format cameras. It is a robust and durable lens incorporating a magnesium die-cast barrel and professional-grade dust and moisture sealing allows it to be used in more rugged situations. It is extraordinarily long reaching and is effective for drawing in distant subjects and serves well those involved in sports and wildlife photography as well as other ultra-telephoto applications. This lens features the improved Vibration Reduction (VR II) image stabilization system that reduces the blur caused by camera shake, something particularly effective when shooting in dim light at such a long focal length. In addition, this lens also features the Tripod Detection mode, which reduces vibration that may occur due to shutter release, when mounted on a tripod. B&H and Nikon

New Sony Listings

FE Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens

Sold before listing!

Used Gear Page regular Karen McCormick is offering a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens in like-new condition for the BAA record-low price of $1349.00. The sale includes the original box, the front and rear lens caps, the lens case, and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Karen via e-mail e-mail.

The versatile 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses have long been big favorites of many nature photographers. They are great for landscapes especially with fall color peaking in many areas. I have used this lens with Canon and Nikon and SONY. I used my Canon version to photograph granddaughter Maya’s dance recitals and to create bird-scapes and pre-dawn blast-off blurs at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico. They are fast and sharp and have 1000 uses. The 70-200 f/2.8 lenses are a specialty lens for bird photographers. Like the bad little child, when they are good, they are really, really good! I’ve used mine mostly for flight photography at point blank range where their performance is unmatched, especially in low light. I’ve killed with these lenses on the gannet boat in the UK, in Homer for eagles, pre-dawn and blizzard blast-offs at Bosque, and at Merritt Island on huge feeding sprees right next to the road.

This super-fast lens weighs only 3.26 pounds and is easily hand holdable by just about everyone. As it sells new right now for $2,298.00, you can save a cool $801 by grabbing Karen’s effectively new lens asap. artie

ps: To see what the 70-200 zoom lenses can do, see the blog post here.

Sony FE 100-400mm, F4.5-5.6GM OSS Lens

Sold before listing!

Used Gear Page regular Karen McCormick is offering a Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6G M OSS lens in like-new condition for a BAA record-low $1298.00. The sale includes the original box, a LensCoat, the front and rear lens caps, the lens case, and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Karen via e-mail e-mail.

This versatile, mega-close-focusing lens is easily hand holdable by most folks; it is much lighter than the 200-600 G lens. It is great for bird photography. I use mine often for flight photography, for head shots of silly-tame birds, and for large flowers, butterflies, frogs, and the like. It sells new for $2498.00 so you can save a handsome $1,1000.00 by grabbing Karen’s lens today. artie

Sony Alpha a7 III Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

Sold before listing!

Used Gear Page regular Karen McCormick is offering a Sony Alpha a7 III Mirrorless Digital Camera Body in like-new condition for BAA record-low $998.00. The sale includes the original product box, a protective screen saver, the front body cap, the strap, and nd insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Karen via e-mail e-mail.

I used an a7R III extensively on my 2019 Galapagos Photo-Cruise. It performed flawlessly. I learned later that it was better for birds in flight than its replacement, the a7R IV! This body sells new for $1998.00. Folks wishing to get started with Sony can do so while saving a very nice $1,000.00. artie

New Canon Listing

Canon EOS 7D Mark II dSLR with extras!

Sold before listing!

BAA-friend Doug Bolt is offering a Canon EOS 7D Mark II dSLR in excellent condition for $650.00. The sale includes the front body cap, one battery and the charger, the camera body manual, a RRS B7D2 base-plate, (a $45 value), a SanDisk Extreme Pro 16GB CF card, a ScanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB SD card, 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 Doug via e-mail.

Both Patrick Sparkman and I used and loved the 7D Mark II for several years until we both committed to using full-frame Canon bodies. We both made some truly great images with it. Two of my three 2016 Nature’s Best honored entries were created with the 7D II, one still, and one video. One thing is for sure: the 7D Mark II is the greatest value ever in a digital camera body. artie

Important Note

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

Please Remember Also

Please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

This image was created at Darwin Bay, Tower Island, Galapagos, Ecuador on 24 July 2019. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter (at 560mm) and the Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 1000: 1/2500 second at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 10:57am on a mostly sunny morning. Image #1: White-tailed Tropicbird in flight

The Forgotten Sony Body; the a7R III

While preparing the listing for Karen Karen McCormick’s a7R III, I remembered that this body had served as my main camera body on my 2019 Galapagos Photo-Cruise. As I viewed the images in the Galapagos 2019 folder, I was surprised to see that many of my favorite images had been made with he 7R III and my only Sony lens at the time, the FE 100-400 GM. I was even more surprised to see that many of those images — including lots of flight shots, had been made with the 1.4X TC in place.

Subject Placement Question

As presented above, Image #1 is a small crop from the left and below. I am not thrilled with the placement of the bird in the frame. Remembering that it is easy to add canvas with uniform backgrounds (if need be), where would you have placed the bird in the frame?

This image was created on 31 July 2019 at Punta Suarez — Espanola (Hood Island), Galapagos. I used the hand Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and my souped up Nikon D850. ISO 500: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3. NATURAL AUTO WB at 3:23pm on a sunny afternoon. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +3. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Center Group (grp) AF point/Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure and worked well. The image is perfectly sharp on the eye. Image #2: Waved Albatross in flight

Light and Deadly

At one point, I was using both Nikon and Sony gear. And that was the case on the 2019 Galapagos Photo-Cruise. When I needed reach, I went to the 500 PF with the battery grip. As you can see in the image above, the AF was pretty darned good. That same combo served as my long lens on my October 2019 bucket list trip to Snow Hill Island, Antarctica, to see and photograph the Emperor Penguins.

Typos

Feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment regarding any typos or errors in this blog post.

From Multiple IPT veteran Jim Dolgin via e-mail “I get everything from Bedfords. They’re the best!”

Bedfords Update

Amazingly, Bedfords has Canon R5s and R6s and RF 100-500s in stock as I type. Steve Elkins also has a nice variety of other zoom and shorter lenses on hand. As detailed below, be sure to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout to save 3% and enjoy free second-day air Fed-Ex. I learned recently of one guy who has been waiting to get his RF 100-500 from B&H since July!

What’s Up?

The Barred Owl paid another visit to my driveway on Tuesday afternoon, but the photo opps were not as good as they had been on Monday. I was glad to learn that multiple IPT veteran Jim Dolgin sold his Sony a9 the first day it was listed.

Please take a moment to leave a comment letting us know which of today’s two featured images you think is the strongest. And why. Thanks with love for that.

Today is Thursday 4 November. I am headed back to Lakeland to do some bird photography. Both of the locations I will be visiting this morning and lots more are detailed in the BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide that I did with Joe Przybyla.

Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post about two hours to prepare.

Remember that 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 save 3% 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.

Important Note

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

Diehard Nikon Folks

Z9 Pre-orders…

Diehard Nikon folks might wish to pre-order their Nikon Z9 from Bedfords by clicking here. It appears that Nikon may finally have a mirrorless body that works well for bird photography. For those who can lift it … Your best chances of getting what will be a hard-to-get-your-hands-on battery is to pre-order now at Bedfords, use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout to save 3%, and e-mail Steve Elkins as below to make sure that you get on the list. I heard from a guy yesterday who ordered a Canon 100-500 RF lens from B&H in July and still has not gotten it. Heck, Bedfords has shipped many dozens (if not hundreds) since then. There are times when the B&H wait lists can be endless …

Please Remember Also

Please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

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.

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.

The 2022 San Diego Brown Pelicans (and more!) IPT. Monday 17 January thru the morning session on Friday 21 January 2022. Four full and one-half day: $2999.00. Deposit: $899.00. Limit: 8 photographers/Openings: 7

Two folks are signed up for the San Diego IPT. Click here and scroll down for the complete details.

This image was created on 2 November 2021 at Circle B Bar Preserve in Lakeland, FL. While standing, I used the I used the Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber tripod/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 800. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3(stopped down 1/3 stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:19am on a sunny morning. Manual Focus with focus peeking. Click on the image to view a higher-res version. Image #1: Backlit blade of grass with dew drops

On Creativity and Seeing

Look Around. See What Catches Your Interest …

On the way back to the car at Circle B Bar Reserve on Tuesday morning, after a less-than-fabulous morning of bird photography, I noted a single blade of grass with two backlit dew drops hanging from it. All I had with me was the big lens with the teleconverter. I set up the tripod right at the lens’s MFD (minimum focusing distance) to fill the frame as much as possible.

The short vignette above reveals an important concept that I often visit when attempting to teach creativity to nature, wildlife, and even bird photographers:

Take a walk in nature (usually with at least some photography gear aboard). Look around. Look for something that piques your interest, something that grabs your eye. It might be a splash of color, the quality of the light, a killer background — go find a subject!, a bird’s beauty, plumage or pose, or, as with today’s featured images, a backlit dewdrop or two …

Once you’ve found something of interest, ask yourself “What gear do I have that will enable me to create what I see as a pleasing image.” You do — of course — have to consider the best perspective, the framing, and the lighting, possibly along with dozens of other factors.

Whatever you like to photograph, make it a habit to look around and see what grabs you. This practice will enable you to grow as a photographer and to become more creative.

This image, of the same blade of grass, was also created on 2 November 2021 at Circle B Bar Preserve in Lakeland, FL. Crouching behind the lowered Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber tripod topped with a Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro, I focused manually using the rear screen with focus peaking. I was using the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens with the Metabones Canon EF/EF-S Lens to Sony E Mount T Smart Adapter (Fifth Generation) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 800. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/50 sec. at f/16 (stopped down 4 1/3 stops) in Manual mode. Manual Focus with Focus Peaking as detailed in the SONY Alpha a1 Info and Updates group e-mails. AWB at 9:30am on a sunny morning. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, hi-res version. Image #2: Backlit blade of grass with dew drop

On Refining Your Vision …

When I finished creating Image #1 above, I realized that if I could get a lot closer with much greater magnification, there might be a more dramatic image at hand. Since I was near the parking lot, I walked to my SUV and switched out the big lens for my Canon 180 macro lens with the Metabones Canon EF/EF-S Lens to Sony E Mount T Smart Adapter. Changing out the lens took about ten minutes in all. When I got back to the single blade of grass, I was glad to see that the situation was intact.

Again, I set up very close to the MFD, this time with the macro lens, and got back to work. A slight breeze came up; every time the blade of grass shifted in response to the moving air, the focus was thrown off a bit. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Why?

Image #2 is a focus stacked composite of the two darkest images. In one image, the large, thin expanse of the darker green portion of the blade of grass was sharply focused, but the single dew drop was beyond the plane of focus (even at f/16). In the next frame, the blade of grass had shifted and the dew drop, and the curved, lighter green area of the blade of grass were sharper and better covered by the very limited depth-of field.

So I processed both images with the same settings. Then I selected and feathered the sharper dew drop and the long thing triangle of lighter green, placed then on a separate layer, and used the Move Tool (V) to put that layer roughly into place atop the image where the darker green portion of the blade of grass was sharpest. Then I used the arrow keys to refine placement of the sharp drop and added a Regular Layer Mask to clean up a few edges. Voila!

Why f/16?

Why did I opt to work at f/16?

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. Be sure to specify Digital Basics II.

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

Everything mentioned above and tons more great Photoshop tips and techniques — along with all of my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — are 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.

Typos

Feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment regarding any typos or errors in this blog post.

What’s Up?

I forgot to mention that I was 30 minutes late getting to Sebastian on Thursday morning. As a result, I missed a glorious sunrise … I returned on Friday afternoon and again ran 30 minutes behind. As I was getting my gear out of the car, the air above the inlet was filled with fishing Ospreys. Walking toward the action, I saw three Ospreys dive right next to the jetty. Each emerged with a fish. Once I was in position, there were lots of Osprey, but the action close to the jetty slowed down almost completely. I did have a few good chances, but nothing with the birds catching fish. Several times there were simply too many fisherman between me and the bird hitting the water. The human fisherman were catching Snook one after another, most too small to keep.

In any case, I am a glutton for punishment. I headed back on Saturday afternoon and planned to arrive at 2pm. Right on schedule … I did just that, and there were lots of Ospreys fishing, but few catching. And with the wind from the northwest, photography was difficult. I did get some sweet stuff on a variety of alternative subjects including Royal Tern, Ruddy Turnstone, Willet, and Wood Stork.

While the Pacific race Brown Pelicans are surely the stars of the show on the San Diego IPT, the nesting Brandt’s Cormorant will provide a ton of action along with many great opportunities including flight and courtship. Scroll down for complete details.

Today is Sunday 31 October. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took nearly three hours to prepare.

Remember that 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 save 3% 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.

Important Note

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

Diehard Nikon Folks

Z9 Pre-orders…

Diehard Nikon folks might wish to pre-order their Nikon Z9 from Bedfords by clicking here. It appears that Nikon may finally have a mirrorless body that works well for bird photography. For those can can lift it … Your best chances of getting what will be a hard-to-get-your-hands-on battery is to pre-order now at Bedfords, use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout to save 3%, and e-mail Steve Elkins as below to make sure that you get on the list. I heard from a guy yesterday who ordered a Canon 100-500 RF lens from B&H in July and still has not gotten it. Heck, Bedfords has shipped many dozens (if not hundreds) since then. There are times when the B&H wait lists can be endless …

Please Remember Also

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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.

Image #1: the Adobe Camera Raw screen capture for the Brandt’s Cormorants courting image at the default settings

The Under-exposed Perfect Exposure …

Even though RawDigger showed that the exposure was pretty much perfect, the image was actually too dark for me. With the birds in the shadow of the cliff, I should have totally blown out the breaking waves in the background to ensure a better exposure for the dark tones of the birds.

Image #1B: the Adobe Camera Raw screen capture for the Brandt’s Cormorants courting with the sliders adjusted to my tatste

Big Improvements During the Raw Conversion

Whether you do your raw conversions in Photoshop with Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), in Capture One, in Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) 4, in Lightroom (again with ACR), or elsewhere, you can make dramatic improvements in your image during the process. No matter the program you use, the sliders are quite similar.

Of note here are the change in the color temperature that warmed up a too-BLUE image very nicely, the Exposure slider at +0.80, the Highlight slider at -100, and +20 on the Shadows. Try to figure out why for each of those … And remember that most of the sliders are moved to your taste for each individual image, and that you will be using different values for all except for images created in the same light in a given situation. For those you can hit Control + left click and select Apply Previous Settings from the dropdown menu.

I created this image on 9 January 2020 on the last San Diego IPT. Standing on the sidewalk, I used the hand held Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 238mm) and the AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 2500. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1600 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. Though RawDigger showed that the exposure was pretty much perfect, it was actually too dark for me. See more on that below. AWB at 10:43am on a cloudy day. Center Zone AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and worked just fine. Click on the image to view a hi-res version. Image #1C: Brandt’s Cormorants courting

The Optimized Image

Compare Image 1#C, the optimized image, with the original image capture as seen in Image #1. The improvement from the raw conversion alone was huge. Once in Photoshop, I ran Topaz DeNoise on Low Light, did some nice Eye Doctor Work, and used a Contrast Mask to sharpen the faces of both birds. I was quite happy with the result.

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. Be sure to specify Digital Basics II.

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

Everything mentioned above and tons more great Photoshop tips and techniques — along with all of my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — are 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.

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.

The 2022 San Diego Brown Pelicans (and more!) IPT. Monday 17 January thru the morning session on Friday 21 January 2022. Four full and one-half day: $2999.00. Deposit: $899.00. Limit: 8 photographers/Openings: 7

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 with eggs and possibly chicks) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Duck; 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 (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lions. 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.

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 the exposure situation 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 and to 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 is 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 all of those opportunities. And depending on the weather and local conditions and 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

This IPT will include five three hour morning photo sessions, four one and one-half afternoon photo sessions, four working brunches that will include image review and Photoshop sessions. On rare cloudy day occasions, we may — at my 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.

An $899 deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART”) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 3385, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due right after you sign up.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for both big international trips and US-based IPTs is highly recommended as we never know what life has in store for us. I strongly recommend that you purchase quality travel insurance. Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options you can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that expands the list of reasons for your canceling to include things such as sudden work or family obligation and even a simple change of mind. My family and I use and depend on the great policies offered by TIS whenever we travel. You can learn more here: Travel Insurance Services. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check or running your credit card. Whenever purchasing travel insurance, be sure to read the fine print carefully even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.

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.

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?

Today is Wednesday 27 October 2022. I woke early and drove toward town on SR 60 with a cardboard box, a heavy-duty plastic bag, and a shovel to pick up a road-killed raccoon that I had been seeing for several days. It was bigger than I had thought, and smelled a lot worse than I could have imagined. I headed back to ILE and placed the raccoon in the middle of the South Peninsula. A Crested Caracara has been flying around but has shown zero interest in the latest iteration of my road-Kill Cafe. It is 8:58am and I am sitting in my SUV working on today’s blog post. 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 creating the YouTube video below.

If you have ever attended a photo tour of any type, I urge you to read the What They Are Saying About BAA IPTs item below to find out what sets IPTs above all other photographic trips.

Remember that 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 save 3% 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.

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage from when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the links on the blog (including the logo-link immediately above). Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

What They Are Saying About BAA IPTs

Unsolicited via e-mail from Pete Myers

I just spent 4 days in the field in a graduate course in bird photography taught by Artie Morris at Fort DeSoto. After almost 50 years of experience pointing cameras at birds from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego, New Zealand and beyond, I thought I was good enough. But what I learned from Artie in just four days has taken me to a whole new level. As he aptly puts it, “birds as art,” not simply bird photography. One of those 4 days was the most satisfying I’d ever experienced, anywhere. The IPT left me euphoric about what I’d learned, and frighteningly committed to recreating my portfolio with the techniques and insights he taught me.

Via e-mail from multiple IPT participant David Hollander

Primarily, what distinguished the San Diego IPT other photographic classes that I have attended was the “granularity” and specificity of the information you shared. By that, I am referring to the level of specific, technical information that was covered. This was helped by the fact that you often gave an explanation as to why you made your choices. For example, when we first arrived at the location, you told people to shoot at 1600, F 5.6, and various shutter speeds. As the light got better, you progressively moved to lower ISOs, and gave us rules-of-thumb on what ISOs to use in different lighting conditions.

You further explained in one of the review sessions that with modern cameras and good software, the noise isn’t really a problem and that you could get rid of the noise from a 1600 ISO a lot easier than fixing a blurred image. Similarly, you gave precise instruction on what aperture to use in various circumstances. In general, before your class, my “default” mode was to shoot in aperture priority, usually at about f/8 or f/9. The reason wasn’t that I was trying to capture background, but instead to increase my chances of getting the bird’s head in focus if I got the focus point in the wrong place. I will revisit that approach now. During an afternoon session, you showed a picture that had the bird’s eye in focus, but the tip of the beak was slightly soft. When I asked you whether you would have used a higher f/stop in that case, you went to a website showing the impact on the depth of field at the given distance of moving up a stop, which was only a small fraction of an inch. That demonstrated why increasing the f/stop would not have worked very well in that case.

From a teaching perspective, hearing the same information in multiple channels makes it more likely for people to absorb it and remember it, so the technical explanations helped the main message sink in. Overall, I found the advice and instruction to be valuable and “actionable.” It was all there for those who were listening.

The comparison of slightly different images of the same bird was also very helpful. It showed what you were looking for aesthetically, particularly with regards to head angles and image designs. I should note, however, that differences in many of the images that were acute to you were pretty subtle to me, and that most of the photos you rejected were ones that most photographers would have been proud of.

Thanks again for another great trip.

Via e-mail San Diego IPT participant Gerold Hanck

Thanks for a great IPT. Here is whatI learned:

1) I learned that manual mode is no harder to use than any other camera mode, and makes learning how to use your camera both easier and faster because it gives you more usable feedback. I think manual mode teaches you a lot more about shutter speed and aperture and how they affect the image than aperture or shutter priority modes do.
2) I learned that good composition is less about what you see when you look through the camera and more about putting your camera (and yourself) in a position where there are more possibilities to take good pictures. Frequently changing your position changes not only what you see but how you see.
3) I learned that moving around when I was near the birds would not scare them off if I moved slowly and watched how the birds reacted to my movements.
4) I learned not to try not to rush a shot. You have to be ready, but you also to make yourself slow down and try to stay calm. It’s hard to resist the “itchy trigger finger.”
5) I learned that it’s easy to take pretty pictures but that it’s very hard to take memorable pictures. Snapping the shutter without thinking or visualizing what you want is a recipe for creating lots of boring, forgettable images.

San Diego, California: A Bird Photographer’s Paradise!

I’ve been visiting San Diego, California for more than 50 years, and photographing there for almost four decades. It truly is one of my favorite bird photography locations on the planet. The Pacific race Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches, are indeed the stars of the show, but there are lots of other great birds there that are relatively easy to photograph. Check out this five minute video to see the potential.

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking here.

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.

The 2022 San Diego Brown Pelicans (and more!) IPT. Monday 17 January thru the morning session on Friday 21 January 2022. Four full and one-half day: $2999.00. Deposit: $899.00. Limit: 8 photographers/Openings: 7

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 with eggs and possibly chicks) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Duck; 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 (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lions. 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.

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 the exposure situation 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 and to 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 is 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 all of those opportunities. And depending on the weather and local conditions and 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

This IPT will include five three hour morning photo sessions, four one and one-half afternoon photo sessions, four working brunches that will include image review and Photoshop sessions. On rare cloudy day occasions, we may — at my 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.

An $899 deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART”) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 3385, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due right after you sign up.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for both big international trips and US-based IPTs is highly recommended as we never know what life has in store for us. I strongly recommend that you purchase quality travel insurance. Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options you can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that expands the list of reasons for your canceling to include things such as sudden work or family obligation and even a simple change of mind. My family and I use and depend on the great policies offered by TIS whenever we travel. You can learn more here: Travel Insurance Services. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check or running your credit card. Whenever purchasing travel insurance, be sure to read the fine print carefully even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.

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.

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?

I spent most of Saturday watching last weekend’s NFL games on Tivo, working on the new Used Gear listings below (and others), preparing and distributing e-mail #24 for the SONY a1 Info and Updates group, editing (picking my keepers) from the last two days of Fort DeSoto IPT 5000 or so images, and doing lots of image optimizations. Friday morning turned out to be the slowest of the four IPT mornings, but again we had many great chances with the shorebirds. Those included a spectacular action sequence as a Black-bellied Plover flew in and stole a large, just-captured lugworm from a Marbled Godwit that was not very happy about being unceremoniously relieved of his prized catch. Images soon.

With the supply pipeline opening up, bird photographers are flocking to the SONY Alpha a1/200-600 G lens combo. Seven new folks joined the SONY a1 Info and Updates group in the last four days! The word is out …

If you order any Singh-Ray filters after learning from today’s blog post, be sure to enter the ARTIE10 discount code at check-out to save 10% on your order.

Today is Sunday 24 October 2021. It is cloudy-dark here at ILE so I will again be spending most of the day at the computer. While watching today’s NFL games. (I have NFL Season Ticket with Direct TV …) Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about two and a half hours to prepare.

Remember that 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 save 3% 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.

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage from when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the links on the blog (including the logo-link immediately above. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

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%. The minimum item price here is $1000 (or less for a $50 flat-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 dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D and 7D Mark II 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. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

As used gear sales have slowed just a bit in recent months — especially with dSLR bodies, there are lots of great buys right now both below and on the Used Gear Page.

New Listings

SONY a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

BAA Record Low By Far Price

BAA-friend Bill Hill is offering a Sony a9 II in excellent plus condition for a BAA record-low (by far) $2398.00. The camera would be near-mint but for two blemishes, one on each side of the camera body. The rear LCD screen is perfect. The sale includes the original box, the front body cap, one battery, the charger, the unused strap, the computer cable, the manual, 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 Bill via e-mail or by phone at 1-831-601-4066 (Pacific time).

As things worked out, the a9, and then the a9 ii, turned out to be life-changers for me. From the moment I tracked that first incoming Brandt’s Cormorant at LaJolla, I knew that at that time, the SONY a9 series bodies featured the world’ best AF. I upgraded to the a9 ii as soon as it was released for the slightly larger body size. At one point I owned two a9 ii bodies. A new a9 ii sells for $4,498.00 so you can save a very nice $2100.00 by grabbing Bill’s a9 ii today. Not to mention that the new Sony A1 sells for $6498.00 … artie

Canon EF 100-400mm 1:4-5.6 L IS II USM

BAA Record-Low-By-Far Price

IPT veteran Matt Schramer is offering a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM zoom lens in very good condition for a BAA record-low by far $1199.00. The lens would be rated excellent but for multiple chips on the lens foot caused by the mounting swivel. Photo available on request. The sale includes the front and rear caps, the lens hood, a LensCoat (on the lens from day 1), the soft carry case, the manual, the original box, and insured ground shipping via major carrier to lower 48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Matt via e-mail or by phone at 360-801-1891 (Pacific time.)

This incredibly versatile zoom lens — with its amazing .98 meter close focus — was my favorite Canon telephoto zoom lens ever. By far. It is easy to hand hold, great for tight portraits, birds in flight, quasi-macro stuff, and lots more. For flight, it is even better with an R5! The lens sells new for $2399.00 so you can save a very nice $1200 grabbing Matt’s lens now. artie

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

BAA Record-Low Price

IPT veteran Matt Schramer is offering a Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8 L IS II USM zoom lens in near-mint condition for a BAA record-low $748.00. The sale includes the front and rear caps, the lens hood, LensCoat cover (from day 1), the soft carry case, manual and original box. Insured ground shipping via major carrier to lower 48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

The 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses have long been the very versatile favorites for nature photographers. They are great for landscapes especially with fall color peaking in many areas. I have used this lens with Canon and Nikon and SONY. I used my Canon version to photograph granddaughter Maya’s dance recitals and to create bird-scapes and pre-dawn blast-off blurs at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico. They are fast and sharp and have 1000 uses. The 70-200 f/2.8 lenses are a specialty lens for bird photographers. Like the bad little child, when they are good, they are really, really good! I’ve used mine mostly for flight photography at point blank range where their performance is unmatched, especially in low light. I’ve killed with these lenses on the gannet boat in the UK, in Homer for eagles, pre-dawn and blizzard blast-offs at Bosque, and at Merritt Island on huge feeding sprees right next to the road.
artie

ps: see the blog post here for sample 70-200 images.

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Zoom Lens

IPT veteran Matt Schramer is offering a Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM zoom lens in near mint condition, for $599.00. The sale includes the front and rear caps, the EW 83E lens hood, the manual, and insured ground shipping via major carrier to lower 48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Matt via e-mail or by phone at 360-801-1891 (Pacific time.)

This versatile wide-angle lens is a great lens for serious landscape folks. It features a constant f/4 maximum aperture along with a sophisticated optical design and durable construction. One Super UD element is featured, along with three aspherical elements, which help to reduce both chromatic and spherical aberrations in order to realize high sharpness, clarity, and color accuracy. A Super Spectra coating has also been applied to suppress flare and ghosting for improved contrast in difficult lighting conditions. Complementing the imaging capabilities, this wide-angle zoom also features a ring-type USM and internal focusing mechanism to afford quick, quiet, and accurate autofocus performance, as well as full-time manual focus override. Additionally, this lens is weather-sealed for use in trying environmental conditions. It will perform well with any of the EF or APS-C bodies, and, with an adapter, with the RF bodies. artie and Canon

Canon EF 1.4X III Extender

IPT veteran Matt Schramer is offering a Canon EF 1.4X III Extender in near mint condition, for $239.00. The sale includes the front and rear caps, the soft pouch, the manual, and insured ground shipping via major carrier to lower 48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Matt via e-mail or by phone at 360-801-1891 (Pacific time.)

As regular readers know, I depended so much on TCs when I shot Canon that I always traveled with two spare 1.4X-s and one spare 2X TC. The Series III TCs perform well with all Canon EF and RF lenses. This item sells new for $429.99. artie

Canon EF 2X III Extender

IPT veteran Matt Schramer is offering a Canon EF 2.0X III Extender in near-mint condition, for $239.00. The sale includes the front and rear caps, the soft pouch, the manual, the original box, and insured ground shipping via major carrier to lower 48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Matt via e-mail or by phone at 360-801-1891 (Pacific time.)

As regular readers know, I depended so much on TCs when I shot Canon that I always traveled with two spare 1.4X-s and one spare 2X TC. The Series III TCs perform well with all Canon EF and RF lenses. This item sells new for $429.99. artie

I created this image on 22 October 2021 on the last (very late!) morning of the third DeSoto Fall IPT. While standing in a foot of cool water, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 318mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. A Singh-Ray George Lepp 3-stop Solid Neutral Density Filter was screwed on to the front of the 200-600 G — more on that below. ISO 80. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/13 sec. at f/13 (stopped down 2 stops) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that this exposure was dead-solid perfect. AWB at 12:15:24pm on variably sunny day. Tracking: Zone/AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to view a hi-res version. Image #1: Laughing Gull bright sun flock blast-off blur (with three Royal Terns)

Why the 3-stop Solid Neutral Density Filter?

With all of today’s featured images, the light levels were so high that getting down to the low shutter speeds that I used would have been impossible. Even getting down to 1/30 second — still too fast for me in this situation, would have necessitated the use of a tiny aperture such as f/20 or f/22. Any sensor dust would become highly problematic at that point; dozens of microscopic dust spots would require lots of time and lots of effort to remove. To avoid that, I screwed the 95mm 3-stop ND filter to the front of the lens so that I could work at slow shutter speeds such as 1/13 and 1/15th second at ISO 50. I own both the 3-stop George Lepp ND filter and the Singh Ray 95mm Mor-Slo ND 5-stop filter and would have preferred to use the 5-stop, but could not find it in the back of my SUV 🙁 While doing the research for this blog post, I discovered the 5-stop in one of the upper pockets of my vest.

I have a variety of 77mm ND filters for my SONY 100-400 lens along with a Singh-Ray 77mm Circular Polarizer. They are all left over from my Canon 100-400 II days. But the front element of the SONY 200-600 G requires a 95mm thread. You get to choose from the 3-, 4-, and 5-stop filters. The 5-stop is best on bright sunny days as you can work very close to wide open while still at very low ISO settings. The 3-stop is better on cloudy bright days as you will always be able to maintain a low ISO. If you opt to own two of the 95mm ND filters, the 3-stop and the 5-stop are the perfect pair. If you opt to own only one, the 4-stop would like be the best choice.

If you own the 200-600 and enjoy doing pleasing blurs, a good ND filter is a valuable tool.

I created this image on 22 October 2021 on the last (very late!) morning of the third DeSoto Fall IPT. While standing in a foot of cool water, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 295mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. A Singh-Ray George Lepp 3-stop Solid Neutral Density Filter was screwed on to the front of the 200-600 G — more on that below. ISO 80. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/15 sec. at f/13 (stopped down 2 stops) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that this exposure was perfect. AWB at 12:15:26pm on variably sunny day. Tracking: Zone/AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to view a hi-res version. Image #2: Laughing Gull bright sun flock blast-off blur (with several Black Skimmers)

Why Pleasing Blurs on Bright Sunny Days?

I’ve taken thousands if not tens of thousands of high shutter speed/sharp images of large flocks of white birds blasting off in bright sunny conditions. The next one I keep will be the first. Such images made on sunny days are too contrasty and feature lots of dark shadows. To my eye, they are anything but pleasing. Slowing down the shutter speeds via the use of various ND filters reduces contrast due to something I call highlight blur blending. Looking at today’s featured images might lead you to ask, “Was it really sunny?”

Fine Points and the Backstory

On Tuesday a flock of 150 White Pelicans flew in at about 11:30am. They showed up again on Wednesday at about the same time. On Thursday, they never showed up so we worked the Laughing Gull flocks with some success. The flocks were blasting off every ten minutes, often prompted by a fly-by Turkey Vulture. So on Friday I grabbed my 3-stop ND filter to photograph the expected blast-offs. I waited an hour for the first blast-off and made Images #1 and #2 two seconds apart. Then I waited another 45 minutes for a second blast off — Image #3 was the best of that lot. Even though I was standing in a foot of cool Gulf water, it was still and very hot. Very, very hot. More than two hours in the heat for only two blast-offs, again with no White Pelicans 🙂

I created this image on 22 October 2021 on the last (very late!) morning of the third DeSoto Fall IPT. While standing in a foot of cool water, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 200mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. A Singh-Ray George Lepp 3-stop Solid Neutral Density Filter was screwed on to the front of the 200-600 G — more on that below. A Singh-Ray George Lepp 3-stop Solid Neutral Density Filter was screwed on to the front of the 200-600 G — more on that below. ISO 50. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/15 sec. at f/11 (stopped down 1 2/3 stops) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that this exposure was perfect. AWB at 1:02:36pm on variably sunny day. Tracking: Zone/AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to view a hi-res version. Image #3: Laughing Gull bright sun flock blast-off blur (with several Black Skimmers and a line of Marbled Godwits)

Multiple Choice/Fill-in Quiz

A- I like Image #1 best because …
B- I like Image #2 best because …
C- I like Image #3 best because …
D- I like all of today’s pleasing blurs because …
E- I do not like any of today’s pleasing blurs because …

Order a Singh-Ray 3-stop ND filter for your SONY 200-600

To Order a Singh-Ray 3- or 4-stop ND filter for your SONY 200-600

To order a Singh-Ray 3-stop ND filter for your SONY 200-600, click here and then make your selections as shown in the screen capture above. Be sure to enter the ARTIE10 discount code at check-out to save 10% on your Singh-Ray order.

To order any Singh Ray filter, including the Singh Ray 95mm Mor-Slo ND 5-stop filter, click here and then click on the Camera Filters tab and see the options on the dropdown menu. Again, be sure to enter the ARTIE10 discount code at check-out to save 10% on your Singh-Ray order.

A Guide to Pleasing Blurs

Learn everything there is to know about creating pleasingly blurred images in A Guide to Pleasing Blurs by Denise Ippolito and yours truly. This 20,585 word, 271 page PDF is illustrated with 144 different, exciting, and artistic images. The guide covers the basics of creating pleasingly blurred images, the factors that influence the degree of blurring, the use of filters in creating pleasing blurs, and a great variety of both in-the-field and Photoshop techniques that can be used to create pleasingly blurred images.

Artie and Denise teach you many different ways to move your lens during the exposure to create a variety of pleasingly blurred images of flowers and trees and water and landscapes. They will teach you to recognize situations where subject movement can be used to your advantage to create pan blurs, wind blurs, and moving water blurs. They will teach you to create zoom-blurs both in the field and during post-processing. Artie shares the techniques that he has used and developed for making blurred images of flocks of geese in flight at his beloved Bosque del Apache and Denise shares her flower blur magic as well as a variety of creative Photoshop techniques that she has developed.

With the advent of digital capture creating blurred images has become a great and inexpensive way to go out with your camera and have fun. And while many folks think that making successful blurred images is the result of being a sloppy photographer, nothing could be further from the truth. In “A Guide to Pleasing Blurs” Artie and Denise will help you to unleash your creative self.

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 :).

Wanted to Buy

If you have a Canon 500mm f/4L IS II lens or a Canon EOS 7D Mark II sitting on a shelf and would like to get a good price for it — demand for both is up, please get in touch via e-mail.

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s two featured Osprey images is your favorite? All are invited to leave a comment and let us know why they made their choice. BTW, take a good look at Image #2 before scrolling down toe #2A; see if you can come up with a plan for re-crafting the image and creating a pleasing image design from the mis-framed original.

What’ Up?

With the supply pipeline opening up, bird photographers are flocking to the SONY Alpha a1/200-600 G lens combo. Five new folks going the SONY Info and Updates group in the last two days! The word is out …

Sebastian was pretty good on Monday morning; the big mullet run is on. Thanks to a very generous tip from YouTube rock star bird photographer Mark Smith, I was in the right spot from the get-go. After the action slowed down a bit, I got some nice head portraits of the always reliable Wood Storks.

The first morning of the third DeSoto IPT got off to a great start. We began with a predawn Snowy Egret feeding spree — can you say pleasing blurs? When the sun broke through the clouds on the Eastern horizon, we went to creating sharp images of the graceful white wading birds at high shutter speeds in butter light with blue water backgrounds. For the rest of the beautiful morning, we concentrated on a wide variety of shorebirds: Marbled Godwit, Willet, Red Knot, Black-bellied, Semipalmated, Snowy, and Piping Plovers, Western and Least Sandpipers, Sanderling, and Short-billed Dowitcher rounded out the cast.

Today is Wednesday 20 October 2021. 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.

Remember that 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 save 3% 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.

Price Drops

FE Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens

Price Reduced $200.00 on 2021 OCT 2021

Multiple IPT and In-the-Field Session veteran William Schneider is offering an FE Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens in like-new condition for a ridiculously low $1298.00 (was $1498.00). The sale includes the original box, the hood, the lens case, the front lens cover, the rear lens cap, and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Bill via e-mail e-mail or by phone at 1-(262) 269-8628 (Eastern time zone).

The 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses have long been the very versatile favorites for nature photographers. They are great for landscapes especially with fall color peaking in many areas. I have used this lens with Canon and Nikon and SONY. I used my Canon version to photograph granddaughter Maya’s dance recitals and to create bird-scapes and pre-dawn blast-off blurs at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico. They are fast and sharp and have 1000 uses. The 70-200 f/2.8 lenses are a specialty lens for bird photographers. Like the bad little child, when they are good, they are really, really good! I’ve used mine mostly for flight photography at point blank range where their performance is unmatched, especially in low light. I’ve killed with these lenses on the gannet boat in the UK, in Homer for eagles, pre-dawn and blizzard blast-offs at Bosque, and at Merritt Island on huge feeding sprees right next to the road.

This super-fast lens weighs only 3.26 pounds and is easily hand holdable by just about everyone. As it sells new right now for $2,598.00, you can save a cool $1300 by grabbing Bill’s effectively new lens asap. artie

FE Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens

Price Reduced $200.00 on 2021 OCT 2021

Arthur Morris — hey, that’s me!, is offering an FE Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens in near-mint condition for a very low $1248.00 (was $1448.00). But for two tiny blemishes on the lens hood finish, this would be like-new. The sale includes the original box, the hood, the lens case, the front lens cover, the rear lens cap, and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact artie via e-mail e-mail or by phone at 1-(262) 269-8628 (Eastern time zone).

The 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses have long been the very versatile favorites for nature photographers. They are great for landscapes especially with fall color peaking in many areas. I have used this lens with Canon and Nikon and SONY. I used my Canon version to photograph granddaughter Maya’s dance recitals and to create bird-scapes and pre-dawn blast-off blurs at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico. They are fast and sharp and have 1000 uses. The 70-200 f/2.8 lenses are a specialty lens for bird photographers. Like the bad little child, when they are good, they are really, really good! I’ve used mine mostly for flight photography at point blank range where their performance is unmatched, especially in low light. I’ve killed with these lenses on the gannet boat in the UK, in Homer for eagles, pre-dawn and blizzard blast-offs at Bosque, and at Merritt Island on huge feeding sprees right next to the road.

This super-fast lens weighs only 3.26 pounds and is easily hand holdable by just about everyone. As it sells new right now for $2,598.00, you can save a cool by grabbing $1350 by grabbing artie’s lens now. artie

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases when you purchase from Amazon using any of the links on the blog. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

Please Remember Also

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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.

This image was created on 18 October 2021 at Sebastian Inlet. I used the hand held Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera (while standing –double gasp!). ISO 640. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that this exposure was perfect. AWB at 9:00am on a variably sunny morning. Tracking: Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Osprey ready to dive — dorsal view

The Dorsal View

Dorsal views of raptors, images showing the upper surfaces of the wings, are hard to come by. I loved the out-of-focus dune and beach background with this one. In addition to the bird’s piercing eyes.

This image was created on 18 October 2021 at Sebastian Inlet. I used the hand held Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera (while standing –double gasp!). ISO 1000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that this exposure was perfect. AWB at 8:58am on a variably sunny morning. Tracking: Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Osprey rising after missed strike — mis-framed!

Before You Scroll Down

You have a lovely bird in sweet light with a killer background to go a long with a pleasing pose. But the bird is poorly framed at best. Before you scroll down, ask yourself, “How would I re-craft this image in post?”

Before You Scroll Down…

Before You Scroll Down…

Before You Scroll Down…

Before You Scroll Down…

Before You Scroll Down…

Before You Scroll Down…

Before You Scroll Down…

Before you scroll down, considered what you would have done to save this image …

This image was created on 18 October 2021 at Sebastian Inlet. I used the hand held Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera (while standing –double gasp!). ISO 1000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that this exposure was perfect. AWB at 8:58am on a variably sunny morning. Tracking: Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2A: Osprey rising after missed strike — re-crafted as a vertical!

What I Did

Since I loved the green dune vegetation at the top of the frame (as well as the rest of the background colors and tones), I immediately thought, “vertical.” Was it possible? Obviously it was. But how? Simple: I added canvas below using the Content-Aware Crop Tool.

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up 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. With two folks joining yesterday, we are now up to an astounding 83 lucky and blessed photographers! Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. More recently, we have been in contact with folks at SONY sharing our thoughts, experiences, and frustrations with the EVF blackout problem.

All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link will receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info Updates after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.) This same service may be purchased by anyone with an a1 body via a $150.00 PayPal sent to birdsasart@verizon.net indicating payment for Alpha a1 Info Updates. Alternatively, folks can call Jim weekdays at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

On Saturday morning I put out some fish carcasses on the South Peninsula to get the local birds re-accustomed to the location. Then I drove off to do some flowers and by the time I returned there were about twenty Turkey Vultures, a juvie Bald Eagle, and an adult Crested Caracara. Surprisingly, there were no Black Vultures. I did not make any photographs at the Road Kill Cafe, but I will be back tomorrow morning with a vengeance.

Much of what I have learned about Topaz DeNoise and Sharpen AI was learned by watching Alan’s various videos and webinars and I am looking forward to his next presentation on Tuesday, October 19, 2021 (8 PM Eastern, 7 PM Central, 6 PM Mountain & 5 PM Pacific time).

To learn more about Alan’s videos and e-books, please click here. See especially The Guide to Songbird Setup Photography.

Today is Sunday 17 October 2021. 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 optimization and the tight crop.

Remember that 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 save 3% 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.

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases when you purchase from Amazon using any of the links on the blog. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

Audubon’s Oriole, Hidalgo Co, TX. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 600mm lens, ISO 800, f/7 at 1/1250 sec. Image courtesy of and copyright Alan Murphy.

Alan Murphy

If you are seriously into bird photography, the name Alan Murphy will be quite familiar to you. Simply put, his images are spectacular. The Audubon’s Oriole image above is one of my very favorite Alan Murphy images.

The idea for Alan Murphy’s first eBook, “The Guide to Songbird Set-up Photography,” popped into my head not ten minutes into the great program he did for the Nature and Wildlife Photographers of Long Island group way back in 2009! I let him know my thoughts right after the conclusion of that program and thus, the songbird set-up guide was born. When we first teamed up to tackle that project, he shared the following story with me:

“Twenty years ago when I first became interested in bird photography, I purchased a copy of the original ‘The Art of Bird Photography.’ I was confused about several topics, including and especially the use of extension tubes. So I got Arthur Morris on the phone. Though he did not know me from Adam, he generously shared 30 minutes of his time with me and answered all of my questions. That is why, to this day, I go out of my way to be help other photographers.”

As I had zero memory of that phone call; I felt that it was most kind of Alan to share the story with me.

In his first eBook, Alan shared many long-held secrets that were carefully developed over time. It was a spectacular start and has helped thousands of folks—including me—to improve their craft and create stronger images. As you read through or watch all of Alan’s educational materials, the words amazing, simple, brilliant, clever, innovative, and practical will come to mind frequently. You will constantly find yourself saying aloud, “Why didn’t I think of that?” I will be using tips and ideas from all of Alan’s e-Books and videos when I finally set up my ILE backyard for bird photography.

To learn more about Alan’s videos and e-books, click here.

To register, click here.

Alan Murphy’s Using Topaz Software in Your Workflow Webinar

FOCUSED WILD PHOTO ADVENTURES

Tuesday, October 19, 2021 (8 PM Eastern, 7 PM Central, 6 PM Mountain & 5 PM Pacific time)
Replays available for one week

FOCUSED WILD PHOTO ADVENTURES welcomes back Alan Murphy to demonstrate how he uses Topaz plugins in his workflow! At the conclusion of the talk, he will take questions from the audience. Questions about the webinars can be directed to Amy via e-mail

To register, click here.

Alan will show you how he uses both Topaz DeNoise AI & Sharpen AI in his processing workflow. The webinar will include:

• At what stage in the processing he uses each software.
• The best settings for each and how to determine them.
• How to set the preferences for each product to get best performance.
• How to use the mask feature to selectively make adjustments.
• Common mistakes that people make.
• An overview on Topaz Gigapixel.

This Zoom webinar will be recorded and be available online for 7 days after the live event.

PLUS time for Q&A!

Great Topaz News!

If you are new to Topaz …

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plug-ins), will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. If the stuff is on sale (as it usually is), you save 15% off of the sale price! To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Those who purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or any other Topaz plug-ins using my link and then entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. Please include a copy of your Topaz receipt that shows the discount. Aside from the basics, the guide explains how to install the plug-ins so that they appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu.

Birds Through the Lens Volume 1

Birds Through the Lens Volume 1

Click here to purchase.

The first video in the series will cover topics which include:
How to look for, find and choose the right perch.
What perches do not work and why.
How to match the perch for a particular species.
How to present a perch to the scene
How to trim a perch to look fantastic
How to support the perch
How many perches do you set up
Working with mounds, stumps and elevated perches
How to choose a good background
How to deal with background challenges
How to break up a flat background so it’s mottled
How to find and use gradient backgrounds
How far should the background be from the perch
Should you wear camo
Working from a blind
How to set up your lens and tripod for blind work
The correct tightness of your lens support
Is concealment important
Plus, many tips for being a better bird photographer

This Hi Definition MP4 video can be either downloaded to your dropbox, computer, tablet, mobile device, or can be streamed.

Total run time: 1 hour.

Birds Through the Lens Volume 2

Birds Through the Lens Volume 2

Click here to purchase.

This second video in the series is now available and covers topics that include:

How to prepare your backyard for photography
How to work with backyard feeders
What feeders work best for bird photography
How to get birds from your feeders onto perches
How to set up a water drip
How to work with berry perches
How to make and use home made suet
How to bring in woodpeckers
What food works best for what species
How to set up perches around feeders
Photo blinds for the backyard

The video can be downloaded to your Mac or PC, streamed to your favorite device, or saved to your Dropbox Account.

Total run time: 1 hour: More than 1 hour.

Birds Through the Lens Volume 3

Birds Through the Lens Volume 3

Click here to purchase.

This third video in the series is now available and covers topics that include:

How to do ambient light Hummingbird photography
How to setup for multi-flash Hummingbird photography
How to photograph songbirds in flight using a tiny feeder
How to setup and use a PhotoTrap trigger system
How to make and use a decoy owl for photographing Raptors in flight
What gear and settings work best
Blind construction and camo for flight photography
Flight photography techniques that will help you succeed

The video can be downloaded to your Mac or PC, streamed to your favorite device, or saved to your Dropbox Account.

Total run time: 1 hour: More than 1.5 hours.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail

or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors

What’s Up?

The last two days I did my 1/2-mile swim by the light of a half moon. On Wednesday evening, the moon was bright enough to create caustics. That leads us to the JP Sears video below. Please take it for what it’s worth. I am sure that opinions will vary.

Note: Caustics describes the patterns of light and color that occur when light rays are reflected or refracted from a surface. In bird photography, they are often seen as ripples of light washing across the body of a bird in the water that is photographed in early morning light.

JP Sears

JP Sears is a YouTuber, comedian, emotional healing coach, author, speaker, world traveler, and curious student of life. His work empowers people to live more meaningful lives. He is very active with his online videos where he encourages healing and growth through his humorous and entertainingly informative videos, which have accumulated over 300 million views.

You can learn more about JP and his work here and on his YouTube channel here.

An e-Mail From Multiple IPT veteran Joe Barranco

Thank you, Artie, for the recent DeSoto IPT (#2). It was great while I got a chance to photograph and not miss a whole day due to my car’s mechanical problems. Your method of placing the lens on one ankle and shooting just above ground level with the flip screen up is genius. It is a great technique that I will use many times in the future. Watching some of the bathing birds and hearing your comments letting us know that they will fly up after the bath got me some great shots. I learn something new from you every time I take one of your IPTs. Good luck, great seeing you again. Joe

Note: Joe’s Lexus would not start on the morning of Day 2 🙁 He kept getting cryptic messages about not enough braking power but it turned out that he needed a new battery …

If You Are On The Fence About Joining the Third DeSoto IPT …

Click the play button above.

YouTube Channel Subscription

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking here.

Fort DeSoto in fall is rife with tame birds. All of the images in 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.

The Remaining Fall 2021 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour

Fall 2021 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #3

3 1/2 Days: Tuesday 19 October through the morning session on Friday 22 October. $1999.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers/Openings 4.

Fort DeSoto in Fall

Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, and gulls that winter on the T-shaped peninsula. With any luck at all, we should get to photograph one of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher is pretty much guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. And we will get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed, Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two.

On this IPT, all will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button.. Everyone will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. Most importantly, you will surely learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it). The best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever and whenever you photograph.

There will be a Photoshop/image review session during or after lunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.

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

A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. 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.

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate I earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases when you purchase from Amazon using any of the links on the blog. Thanks, BTW 🙂

Typos

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