Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Stuff

I will be away for almost a month while leading the 2018/2019 Falklands land-based IPT. I should be back in the office (and back in the pool) on the afternoon of Monday, January 14, 2019. Happy new year! I should have good internet access until Friday December 21 and then again on the weekend of January 12/13. I will surely not be online from December 23-27 and then again from January 4-7. I may or may not have limited internet access at other times.

Jim and Jen will be in the office weekdays to help you with your online orders and with IPT registrations.

I was thrilled recently to learn that first-timer Shonagh Adelman of Chattanooga, TN signed up for the 2019 Puffins and Gannets and Red Kites IPT. As he is the first registrant, we need three more for the trip to go. I am counting on it and hope for a sellout with ten plus the two leaders; there are lots of puffins and gannets. 🙂

I still need three or four folks for the Galapagos trip. If you would like to explore the possibilities, please get in touch via e-mail. No reasonable offer will be turned down.

• 2019 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) SUN JAN 20, 2019 thru and including the morning session on THURS JAN 24: 4 1/2 days: $2099. (Limit: 10/Openings: 4) Introductory Meet and Greet at 7:00pm on the evening before the IPT begins: THURS, 6 DEC.
• The 2019 Hooptie Deux/Roseate Spoonbill Boat 3 1/2 DAY IPT — FEB 16 thru 19, 2019: $2599.00. Limit: 5 photographers/Openings: 2.
• The New, Expanded 2019 UK Puffins, Gannets, & Red Kites IPT. Thursday June 27 (from EDI) through Tuesday, July 9, 2019 (on the ground; fly home on Wednesday July 10.): $9,999. Limit 10 photographers/Openings: 9. This trip needs four to run. Co-leader: Peter Kes.
• The GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience. July 23 to August 6, 2019 on the boat. 13 FULL and two half-days of photography: $14,499. Limit: 12 photographers/Openings: 4.

BIRDS AS ART

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

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 $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many 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. 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.

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.

Gear Questions and Advice

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

This image was created on my last morning at Snow Hill Island, Antarctica, October 27, 2018, on the Emperor Penguin expedition. I used the Induro GIT 204/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and my souped up Nikon D850. ISO 500. Matrix metering at about +1 1/3 stops: 1/1250 sec. at f/13. NATURAL AUTO WB at 10:55 am on a sunny morning with just a wisp of clouds in front of the sun. It was bright down there! Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: -2. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Center AF point/Single AF Area Mode/AI Servo AF was locked by holding down the AF-On button after focusing on the eye of the closest chick. Emperor Penguin adult grooming chick

The Situation

I moved right as much as I could to get close to sun angle. But as the rope protecting the colony angled away from us behind and to our right it was not possible to get right on sun angle. What do you think about the shadows of the two chicks?

Focus Lock with Nikon

I have the AF-On button set to AE/AF lock on my D5. As the D850 does not offer that option, I have the AF-On button set to AF lock on both my D850 bodies. I much prefer the former. Above I wrote, Center AF point/Single AF Area Mode/AI Servo AF was locked by holding down the AF-On button after focusing on the eye of the closest chick. To make that point clear, I first focused on the eye of the lower chick and then pressed and held the AF-On button down to lock the focus. In effect, I was using rear button focus but for the fact that I needed to hold the AF-On button down. When I wanted to make an image, I simply pressed the shutter button. Everything was fine as long as the lower chick did not change its position.

A Common Error

Whether you are using focus lock, or more commonly rear button focus, it is absolutely imperative that the camera not move after the focus is set. If you are hand holding without the lens completely braced, the movement of your body, even the movement caused when you breathe, is more than enough to throw off accurate focus. Best is to be on a tripod working with static subjects (as I was doing when I created today’s featured image). Being on a monopod does not really offer much help as your body moving even ever-so-slightly will move the monopod and the lens and throw off the focus. If you are not on a tripod and are using rear button focus or focus lock, the next best option is to be seated and using the knee-pod technique with your right 100% braced against movement. If you are free standing it is much better to select an AF point that will give you a sharp photo and keep AF active at the moment of exposure. If you opt not to do that as when you wish to create an image where the subject is way off center, you had better do your best to remain stock still. As insurance, re-focus after each frame while trying to remain still.

The Lesson

It is best to avoid using rear button focus or focus lock when hand holding. Working off a solid tripod is best. If you must focus and recompose while hand-holding, do your best to hold the lens completely still and in place to avoid throwing off accurate focus. And do take multiple images re-focusing and re-composing each time.

Help Support the Blog

Please help support my efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie

If In Doubt …

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

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

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

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

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

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.

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 :).

Stuff

I will be away for almost a month while leading the 2018/2019 Falklands land-based IPT. I should be back in the office (and back in the pool) on the afternoon of Monday, January 14, 2019. Happy new year! I should have good internet access until Friday December 21 and then again on the weekend of January 12/13. I will surely not be online from December 23-27 and then again from January 4-7. I may or may not have limited internet access at other times.

Jim and Jen will be in the office weekdays to help you with your online orders and with IPT registrations.

I was thrilled recently to learn that first-timer Shonagh Adelman of Chattanooga, TN signed up for the 2019 Puffins and Gannets and Red Kites IPT. As he is the first registrant, we need three more for the trip to go. I am counting on it and hope for a sellout with ten plus the two leaders; there are lots of puffins and gannets. 🙂

I still need three or four folks for the Galapagos trip. If you would like to explore the possibilities, please get in touch via e-mail. No reasonable offer will be turned down.

BIRDS AS ART B&H Essential Gear Bags

BIRDS AS ART B&H Essential Gear Bags

Click here or on the logo-link above to check out some great B&H year-end deals in the category that best suits you and your photography.

The iPhone Photography e-Guide If you missed the long-awaited announcement yesterday, click here to learn about Cliff Oliver’s great new iPhone e-Guide. To order your copy of the The iPhone Photography e-Guide, please click here. The PDF is sent link by e-mail for downloading: the file is relatively huge at 216 MB.

2019 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) SUN JAN 20, 2019 thru and including the morning session on THURS JAN 24: 4 1/2 days: $2099. (Limit: 10/Openings: 4) Introductory Meet and Greet at 7:00pm on the evening before the IPT begins: THURS, 6 DEC.

The 2019 Hooptie Deux/Roseate Spoonbill Boat 3 1/2 DAY IPT — FEB 16 thru 19, 2019: $2599.00. Limit: 5 photographers/Openings: 2.

The New, Expanded 2019 UK Puffins, Gannets, & Red Kites IPT. Thursday June 27 (from EDI) through Tuesday, July 9, 2019 (on the ground; fly home on Wednesday July 10.): $9,999. Limit 10 photographers/Openings: 9. This trip needs four to run. Co-leader: Peter Kes.

The GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience. July 23 to August 6, 2019 on the boat. 13 FULL and two half-days of photography: $14,499. Limit: 12 photographers/Openings: 4.

BIRDS AS ART

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

BPN Mods

Among the BirdPhotographers.Net Avian moderators are some of the very best bird photographers in the world. In today’s blog post, enjoy some of their best work. And let us know which of the three featured images would win your bird photography contest. In addition, be sure to check out the fine work of some of our other Avian mods including David Salem and Randy Stout.

If you click on the links to each of today’s featured images and read the comments you will realize two things:

1- More than anything, BPN is a community of friends with similar interests.

2- BPN is a place to get honest critiques done gently.

If you surf around a bit you might enjoy some of the other Forums and the same sense of community that is present in each of them. My BPN streak is still alive: I have commented on every image posted in the Avian Forum since August 8, 2018. That despite being away for three weeks on the Emperor Penguin expedition. It did take me a while to catch up on those images!

This image was created by BPN Avian moderator Stu Bowie. He used the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and the EOS 1D Mark IV (now replaced by the rugged, blazingly fast Canon EOS-1D X Mark II.) ISO 800. 1/2500 sec. at f/6.3. Incoming Grey Heron/Photo courtesy of and copyright 2018: Stu Bowie This is my reposed version of the image that Stu posted on BPN — link below Click on the image to see a larger version.

Stu Bowie/Grey Heron

You can check out Stu’s original post (and image) in the BPN thread here. Which version do you like best? Stu lives in Centurion, South Africa.

This image was created by BPN Avian moderator Isaac Grant. He used a tripod-mounted Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the rugged, blazingly fast Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. See the BPN post here. for additional details and the comments of others. First-winter Dunlin Photo courtesy of and copyright 2018: Isaac Grant Click on the image to see the larger version.

Isaac Grant/First-winter Dunlin

Here is what I had to say about this wonderful image:

Killer, killer bird and image; everything is perfect. Ditto all other positive comments here. Can you age it?

What can I say? I love shorebirds. I love soft light. I love low perspectives. I love perfect poses, head angles, and image designs.

You can see what others had to say here.

This image was created by BPN Avian super-moderator Dan Cadieux. He used the hand held Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the often maligned Canon EOS 7D Mark II. See the BPN post here. for additional details and comments from the peanut gallery. Female Pine Grosbeak Photo courtesy of and copyright 2018: Daniel Cadieux Click on the image to see the larger version.

Dan Cadieux/female Pine Grosbeak eating crab apples

Here is what I had to say about this wonderful image:

Though the males rock and the male that you posted was outstanding, this one is beyond the beyond amazing. Too bad that ISO 1600 and the 7D Mark II suck. Not in your hands!

I’d add that the soft light and the impeccable framing put this one way over the top for me.

You can read the rest of the accolades here.

This image was created by long-time BPN Avian moderator with the hand held (yes, hand held) Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR AF lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the Nikon D850. See the BPN post here. for additional details and comments by BPN members and some of our other great Avian Mods. White-tailed Kite midair interaction Photo courtesy of and copyright 2018: Arash Hazeghi Click on the image to see the larger version.

Arash Hazeghi/White-tailed Kite midair interaction

Here is what I had to say about this wonderful image on BPN:

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow! Center Group (grp) AF Area Mode?

(The answer to my question was “yes, and then a crop.” That is what I figgered. 🙂

Arash swears that the Nikon D5 is better than the D850 for Af and flight photography but when he posts images like this made with the D850 I like to bust him on that. See what the rest of the gang had to say here.

You Be the Contest Judge

Which of today’s four featured images would you put in first place?

Help Support the Blog

Please help support my efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie

If In Doubt …

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

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

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

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

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

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.

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 :).