No Homer IPT Price Increase!
Despite that fact that the hourly boat fee has been increased by 33%, I have decided not to raise the price of the 2025 Homer IPTs. Scroll down for details.
Amazing!
Two folks who have traveled with me to Homer before signed up for both trips within an hour of posting. Only 3 slots left on each trip.
What’s Up?
Not much. It rained most of Saturday morning. I have been doing lots of walking and swimming in my pool that has been as low as 67.1° F and walking one and a half miles most every day. Plus my bursts.
Please note that the last three Bob Eastman items in today’s post were excerpted from two previous 2023 posts. Whether or not you missed “The Happy Life of Hapless Bob Eastman” it is worth a read. As I do, Bob chooses to be happy. (Byron Katie — www.TheWork.com)
Today is Sunday 7 JAN 2024. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day too. It is very cloudy with a NW breeze so I will be heading down to the lake after my early morning cold-shock walk/swim.
Catching Up
Astoundingly, my very favorite image from the 200-600 video was Andrew Schonbek’s Dunlin flapping after bath. Please remember that Andrew was a 100% Sony beginner when he arrived in Gulfport for a DeSoto IPT. I can help you too. Of my images, I’d go with the Herman’s Gull with the black sand background. That followed by the Piping Plover grabbing a fly off the beach and the copulating skimmers.
My three picks from the Twenty-four of My 2023 Favorite Images video are as follows:
1- The screaming kittiwake for its dynamism.
2- The baby oystercatcher getting fed for the colors and the cuteness.
3- The Common Tern killing the tiny chick for the graphic drama.
That said, there were at least another dozen that I really, really loved. Maybe more …
Mongoose M3.6
Bosque IPT veteran Dwaine Tollefsrud is offering a Mongoose 3.6 tripod head in excellent condition for a very low $380.00. It comes in the original box and includes insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Dwaine via e-mail or by phone at 605-431-5712 (Mountain Time Zone).
The Mongoose was my go-to super-telephoto lens tripod head for more than a decade. We still sell a few each year new for $680.00 (plus shipping). It is difficult to find a used one so Dwaine’s Mongoose is an excellent buy. artie
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.
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This image was also created on 4 March 2023 by Bob Eastman on the third Homer IPT. Again, he used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 374mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation the Thumb Dial. Evaluative metering -2/3 stop. AUTO ISO SET ISO 250: 1/2500 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Shutter Priority mode. AWB at 6:05:50pm, 36 minutes before sunset with some lovely clouds on the horizon. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Bald Eagle with wings raised — sunset silhouette
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My Inadvertent Photo Theft
In the blog post here, the new YourTube video (Best 2023 Sony 200-600 Images) drew very, very few comments. Beginning at the 2:52 mark, I shared two Bald Eagle silhouette images that I honestly believed were mine.
Thus, I was surprised to see this comment:
Bob Eastman/January 5, 2024 at 12:00pm
Glad to hear that your Homer IPTs are filled and hopefully you have a good driver. And thanks for using my two Bald Eagle unset Happy New Year my friend! Always with love b
I was sure that Bob was mistaken, but was aghast when I saw that the two photos in question obviously had Bob-Eastman in the caption. I called him to apologize, but we played phone tag for most of the day. When we finally got to chat yesterday afternoon, I was glad to learn that Bob was actually thrilled that I had mistaken his photos as mine.
I clearly remember standing behind Bob at our newfound spot and forcefully moving him into perfect position. Note that Augustine Volcano is included on the left side of the image. Thank me very much 🙂 Bob did a great job zooming out for the take-off shot!
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This image was created on 4 March 2023 by Bob Eastman on the third Homer IPT. He used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation the Thumb Dial. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop. AUTO ISO SET ISO 125: 1/2500 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Shutter Priority mode. AWB at 6:28:20pm, 14 minutes before sunset with some clouds on the horizon. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Bald Eagle — sunset silhouette
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Bob Eastman and BIRDS AS ART
Bob Eastman began hanging around the blog about two years ago. It was obvious that he was eager to learn photography. We e-mailed a lot and spoke a few times. Bob’s message was always the same: “I really want to learn from you. I am dreaming of getting to Alaska. I want to attend an IPT. But I do not fly. I am deathly scared of getting on an airplane.”
Skip ahead to February 18, 2023. Carolyn Johnson and I have just gotten off our flight from Seattle to Anchorage. A strange looking guy meets us at the top of the stairs that lead down to bag claim. He has a big smile on his face as he greets us, but his teeth are brown and yellow rotten and misshapen. “Howdy, artie!” he says, his voice very loud and 100% hillbilly, “I’m Bob Eastman.” Carolyn and I were taken aback. We each thought, “What have we gotten ourselves into?” Fortunately, Bob had had us fooled. He removed his fake rubber teeth and gave us each a big hug as we all laughed out loud.
“Bob,” I asked, what are you doing here? I thought that your plane was going to crash.” “It almost did,” he said. “We were 30 minutes out of Seattle when the plane dropped 700 feet in seconds. Everyone not seated with their seatbelts fastened went flying. So did trays and drinks and everything else that was not tied down. I was sure that I was going to die. Once we resumed stable flight the pilot came on and explained that we had hit a pocket of dead air.”
The next day Bob drove every inch of the way from Anchorage to Homer. He turned out to be a super-nice guy. He was a great roommate. He can be zany. He is funny and laughs easily. He is enthusiastic about everything he does. He is very eager to learn. He did the first and the last Homer IPTs. He asked a thousand questions. I loaned him the SUV during the 2nd IPT, and he was off in search of owls and Moose and anything else he could find to photograph after dropping the group at the dock. And he was always there for us with a warm vehicle to greet us when we got off the boat. He drove every inch of the way back to Anchorage even though Monte Brown offered to drive several times. Neither of his return flights crashed. When he got back to Minneapolis, he faced a snowstorm and a six hour drive back to his home in Wisconsin. That wound up taking eight hours. At night. In the dark. Somewhat miraculously, he made it home safely.
After you read Bob’s biography below, you may be surprised to learn that he (like my late-Dad) is completely devoid of any bitterness despite the bad luck he has had for the past five or so decades. He is a skilled and knowledgeable outdoorsman. He loves life, loves photography, speaks of the time he spends outdoors with reverence, and cherishes every minute of every day. And best of all, he is my friend.
On the drive back up to Homer and for several more hours as we waited for our red-eye flights into the early morning of 9 March at Ted Stevens International Airports, I interviewed Bob and learned all about his bad luck life. The story really is hard to believe.
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Bob Eastman in Zany Mode disguising himself as a Moose |
The Happy Life of Hapless Bob Eastman
As told to Arthur Morris
Robert Allen Eastman was born on February 25, 1957, in Milwaukee, WI. At age five, he was on his bike chasing the ice cream wagon. After purchasing four fudgsicles, he was worried about them melting. He kept checking on them until he drove his bike right at the rear fin of a 1957 Cadillac. He split his head open and arrived home bleeding profusely. He woke up two months later after being placed in a medically induced coma to reduce the swelling in his brain. Reading was a challenge , and he was unable to concentrate long on anything.
His family summered at a cottage on the Wisconsin River. His neighbor was washing out a portable cement mixer. Bob was seven. The neighbor was in his house when Bob spotted a shiny rock that he wanted. He stuck his hand in to grab it but fins inside the machine grabbed his coat and lifted him up and down as it spun. He screamed and the neighbor came out and pulled the plug. His right elbow was wrecked, his arm broken in several places. At the hospital, they put his arm in a cast and sent him home.
His parents threw him out at age 15. He got a job working in a pallet factory but was fired due to his age. By 16, he began using drugs including marijuana, cocaine, and acid. He had stolen a bicycle for transportation. When the cops came asking about the bike, Bob – realizing that his life was on a very bad path, told them that he had stolen the bike, told them about his stash, and told them that he needed help. They arrested him. He was placed in Lincoln Hills Juvenile Detention Center until he was 18.
He credits his stay at the center with turning his life around.
While he was there, a team of state doctors re-broke his cement-mixer damaged right arm and set it properly. The improvement was huge.
When he was released, he rented a cabin and got a job driving a forklift, loading trucks and trains on the docks. While trying to help another driver with his load, the forklift wound up on top of Bob. Six fellow workers lifted the 6,000-pound machine off him. He had fractured his right femur. When he could walk on the leg, he went to work in the shipping office.
Thursday night was taco night at Skyline Ski Resort. He ran into a rival from high school named Jerry. Both of them were drunk. Bob grabbed a girl’s car keys and went for a joyride with Jerry. Long story short, Bob wound up marrying Susan three months later.
They had three sons. Walking home through a park after having a drink with an old friend and turning down a ride, he was mugged and severely beaten by to men to the tune of three broken ribs and a bloodied face and head after he refused to give them his wallet with seven dollars in it. Bob got to his feet, broke the arm of one of his attackers, and spent several days in the hospital.
While camping with his wife in Tomahawk, WI, Bob began running a high fever and became delusional. They borrowed a car, got lost, and knocked on a farmer’s door. He came out with a pistol followed by his wife with a shotgun. They met the ambulance on the road. The EMTs put Bob on a gurney but neglected to strap him down. The lady EMT slipped and dropped the gurney. Bob fell off the gurney 75 feet down a steep slope into a cattail marsh. Bob was waist deep in mud and muck.
By the time the other EMT fished Bob out, he was incoherent and covered with mud and slime. His temperature was 105° F. His appendix –previously misdiagnosed by a family doctor, had ruptured. He underwent emergency surgery the next morning. Bob spent another two weeks in the hospital.
In the winter of 2005 Bob went ice-fishing. Alone. The temperature was 20° F. He broke through the ice and miraculously clawed his way out of the frigid water and tried to make his way back to his car, about 1-½ miles away. He almost made it, but collapsed 100 yards short to die. A passerby had seen Bob from the main road but kept on going. After ten miles, he made a U-turn as he felt that something just did not seem right. He saw that Bob, now covered in ice from head to toe and near death, was in dire need of help. He dragged Bob up to his car, pushed and pulled him into the back seat, and drove him 15 miles to the nearest emergency room at Hartford Memorial Hospital.
Bob was in the hospital for a week. Despite advanced hypothermia, he escaped relatively unscathed. Bob never saw the man again. “An angel,” he says.
When Bob was about 50, he was working at a tool and die machine shop in Flint, MI. On his way back to his apartment in Detroit, he got lost and wound up on the Windsor Bridge into Canada. He followed a small white van with a red cross on it into Canada. The van was pulled over by Canadian customs and so was Bob, It turned out that the guys in the van were carrying two million US dollars’ worth of cocaine. The agents incorrectly assumed that Bob was part of the drug convoy.
He was locked in a room for ten hours without access to a bathroom. He was questioned relentlessly. Bob kept protesting his innocence. He was finally released – without apology, the next day after the Mounties contacted his boss.
He lost that job in 2007 during the recession. Next, he was employed by Benz Metal Industries. He was running a water jet machine that can be used to cut anything. He was loading 55 pound bag of garnet valued at $11.00. When it slipped out of his hand, he grabbed at it. He fell face first onto a pallet of garnet bags. He dislocated his left shoulder and ruptured four spinal vertebrae in his neck. He told the boss who sent him to the doc. They did an MRI of his lower back and incredibly, missed his neck injuries. The MRI showed degenerative discs and a herniated disc in the lumbar region at L4. The doctor suggested physical therapy.
That caused excruciating pain in his neck. The therapist diagnosed a neck injury. Bob went back to see an orthopedic surgeon who recommended an MRI of the head and neck. That done, Bob was told not to move anything and to re-visit the surgeon. They tried cortisone injections and physical therapy. At that point, a Workers’ Compensation nurse become involved in the case. Things got worse and worse. Pain medication was prescribed: Vicodin, Oxycodone, and Hydrocodone, all nasty stuff.
After six months of increasing medication, the pain became worse. His right side began to go numb. He had no feeling in his right hand and could not button a shirt. They put Bob on a Fentanyl patch, 100 mcg every two days. Nothing helped. So, it was back to the surgeon. Bob agreed to anterior cervical neck fusion. Workmen’s Comp cut him off completely stating that his problem was from a pre-existing condition. They would not agree to pay for the surgery.
Bob continued to get worse and worse. His weight had dropped from 185 to 130 pounds. He went to an attorney who arranged Badger Care insurance through the state of Wisconsin. One and one-half years after his accident, the surgery was performed at The Orthopedic Medical Hospital at Milwaukee, WI.
After a tough recovery, Bob was back in physical therapy. Progress was very slow. Seven months after the surgery, he went back to light duty and computer work. No lifting.
Fasten your seatbelt.
Standing next to his boss in the shop, next to the water jet machine, a ten thousand pound steel plate, 5 X 20 feet long was hanging vertically, held by a grab claw and hoist. It was swinging inexorably toward Bob. His boss noticed it and shoved Bob out of the path of the plate. Bob fell backwards onto a pallet of steel plates. He landed on his butt.
He was taken by ambulance to the hospital where injuries to his lower back were diagnosed. After a year of failed physical therapy, three rods were surgically placed in his right hip at the SI joint, an “SI Fusion.” He walked out of the hospital that same day and felt great within a week. “That was my best surgery ever,” he told me.
Another year of physical therapy followed so that Bob could adjust to everyday life while dealing with his neck and SI fusions. He has been out of work ever since his boss had tried to save him.
Bob had been an outdoor person since childhood and loves walking in nature. In 2011, right after the second injury, Bob purchased a Canon Elan 5 and a 70-300mm zoom lens and began carrying it on his walks. Another nature photographer was born.
In 2021, at age 64, while scouting for a good cliffside location from which to photograph the coming Fourth of July fireworks in Wisconsin Dells, Bob slipped and fell 30 feet down the 100-foot cliff until he got wedged between some rocks. Fishermen on the river called rescue, but they did not show up for an hour. Once they located Bob, they rappelled down the cliff, got Bob into a rescue basket, and lowered him down to the river where he was taken by boat to the Wisconsin Dells Dam and then by ambulance to Mauston Hospital. Just bruises and some pain, but no broken bones or serious injuries.
Bob returned a week later to photograph the fireworks display from a safe spot on a folding chair down by the river.
On February 14, 2022, Bob had his left shoulder replaced. It had been injured more than 14 years before when he dropped the bag of garnet. The surgery was quite successful; Bob gets around just fine now without any pain meds.
Bob says, “My life has been a journey, and it’s not over yet. I’m looking forward to the rest of it.”
Postscript: While Bob was in Homer, he often went out on his own looking for owls. He fell on the ice and re-injured his right arm. When he returned home, he had the arm x-rayed: he has an elongated stress fracture of his ulna. When the doctor examined the x-rays of his right arm he was floored; “What the hell happened to your elbow?”
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This image was created on 23 February 2023 by Bob Eastman on an Instructional Photo-Tour at Kachemak Bay, Homer, AK. He used the handheld Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens (at 200mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250: 1/2500 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 11:33:42am on a cloudy morning. Tracking: Expand Spot AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Bald Eagle scavenging Moose rack |
What Bob Learned on the Homer IPTs
Bob learned that patience paid off. (I am still working on that oneHe wanted an image of the eagle inside the Moose antlers and stayed with it until he got what he wanted. He needs to teach me that lesson. Bob learned not to be concerned about high ISO settings with Sony and to expose far to the right by mastering Zebra technology. He learned how to get the right exposure for the adult eagles on white sky days: set the wide open aperture, pick your preferred fast shutter speed for flight, and then raise the ISO until the analogue scale shows +2 stops on the sky. That would almost always result in some Zebras either on the sky or on an adult eagles white head. Bob took every word that I said as the holy grail. That paid off nicely on the IPT and will continue paying off until he falls off another cliff. Or not!
Bob learned to shoot sunsets in Shutter Priority mode with Exposure Compensation on the Thumb Dial. Like most beginners, and me at time, he often failed to add enough light. Bob learned that to get the brightest sunset or sunrise colors, you should put the subject directly between you and the sun. While that seems obvious, folks often seem to miss that important point. Bob learned that when you have two flying birds in the frame, press the shutter button. Do not try to visualize the perfect image. Do not try to compose a pleasing image; just press and hold the shutter button. It’s the old Forrest Gump life is like a box of chocolates thing — you never know what you are gonna get.
To this day, Bob and I speak at least once or twice a month. He is a great friend.
No Homer IPT Price Increase!
Despite that fact that the hourly boat fee has been increased by 33%, I have decided not to raise the price of the 2025 Homer IPTs. Scroll down for details.
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2025 Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagle IPTs
IPT #1: FRI 14 FEB 2025 through the full day on TUES 18 FEB 2025. Five days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings 3.
IPT #2: WED 19 FEB 2025 through the full day on SUN 23 FEB 2025. Five days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings 3.
Register for both trips to maximize your travel dollars and enjoy a $1000 discount while you are at it. In 2024, three of the five participants did both trips!
This trip features non-stop flight photography as well as many opportunities to create both environmental and point-blank portraits of one of North America’s most sought-after avian subjects: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Other reliable subjects will include Sea Otter, Glaucous-winged and Short-billed (formerly Mew) Gulls.
In addition, we should see Common Murre, Black Guillemot, Pelagic Cormorant, two or three species of loons, and a smattering of ducks including two species of merganser, all three scoters, Common and Barrow’s Goldeneyes, Bufflehead, Harlequin, and Long-tailed Ducks. Close-range photographic chances for these species will require some good luck. Some of these species, especially when in flocks, can, however, often be used effectively when pleasing creating bird-scapes.
If we need to be out early, we will be the first boat out. If the conditions are great, we will stay out. And when there is a chance for sunset silhouettes, we will be in the right spot.
We will be traveling through gorgeous wilderness country; landscape and scenic opportunities abound.
Also featured is a professional leader, often referred to as the world’s most knowledgeable bird photography trip leader and instructor. He is conversant in Canon, Nikon, and Sony. You will learn practical and creative solutions to everyday photographic problems. You will learn to see the shot, to create dynamic images by fine-tuning your compositions, to best utilize your camera’s AF system, and how to analyze the wind, the sky conditions, and the direction and quality of the light. This is one of the very few trips Homer trips available where you will not be simply put on the birds and told to have fun. You will learn to be a better photographer.
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All images from Kachemak Bay in 2022! |
What You Will Learn
You will learn practical and creative solutions to everyday photographic problems. You will learn to see the shot, to create dynamic images by fine-tuning your compositions, to best utilize your camera’s AF system, and how to analyze the wind, the sky conditions, and the direction and quality of the light. This is one of the very few trips Homer trips available where you will not be simply put on the birds and told to have fun. You will learn to be a better photographer.
You will learn to get the right exposure when it is sunny, when it cloudy-bright, when it is cloudy, when it is cloudy-dark, or when it is foggy. Not to mention getting the right exposure when creating silhouettes. You will learn to make pleasing blurs working in manual mode and to create silhouettes working in Shutter Priority mode. Most importantly, you will learn to pick your best flight photographs from tens of thousands of images.
You will enjoy working with the best and most creative boat captain on his sturdy, photography-spacious, seaworthy, open-deck watercraft.
There will be only five photographers (not the usual six), plus the leader.
Small group Photoshop, Image Review, and Image Critiquing sessions.
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All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK |
What’s Included
One four hour or two two-hour boat trips every day (weather permitting), all boat fees and boat-related expenses (excluding tips), ground transportation to and from the dock and back to the hotel each day, in-the-field instruction and guidance, pre-trip gear advice, small group post-processing and image review sessions, and a thank you dinner for all well-behaved participants.
What’s Not Included
Your airfare to and from Homer, AK (via Anchorage), the cost of your room at Land’s End Resort, all personal items, all meals and beverages, and tips for the boat captain and/or the first mate.
Important Note
On great days, the group may wish to photograph for more than four hours. If the total time on the boat exceeds 20 hours for the five-day trips the group will share the additional expense at a rate of $300.00/hour. The leader will pay for the bait.
Some folks may wish to rent their own vehicle to take advantage of local photographic opportunities around Homer. In 2024 those included Moose, Sea Otter, a variety of sea ducks in the harbor, and Great Grey and Short-eared Owl.
Deposit Information
A $3000 non-refundable deposit/trip is required. You may pay your deposit with credit card or by personal check (the latter made out to BIRDS AS ART) and sent via US mail only to Arthur Morris. PO Box 7245. Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Your balance, due 90 days before the date of departure, is payable only by check.
In Closing
I have been going to Homer off and on for close to two decades. Every trip has been nothing short of fantastic. Many folks go in mid-March. The earlier you go, the better the chances for snow. The only way to assure that you are on the best of these two trips is to sign up for both of them. If you have any questions, or are good to go for one or both of these great trips, please let me know via e-mail or give me a call on my cell phone at 863-221-2372.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
