For starters, for the first time in decades on a photo trip, I got down to only a single checked bag: 49.75 pounds. Why? There is a weight limit on the float plane from Kodiak to Katmai and I finally decided to comply. It was difficult, but I wound up not having to leave anything important behind. I make most trips with two 50 pound bags …
Second, I switched from my larger Think Tank Roll-aboard (the AIRPORT SECURITY™ V3.0) to the smaller one (the AIRPORT INTERNATIONAL™ V3.0). This on its own saved 1 1/2 pounds. Photographically I cut way down as well. I am taking the following: the 500 II, the 100-400 II, two sets of TCs, my 24-105, the 8-15 fisheye, and two 5D Mark IV bodies. Stuffed in between the gear were two extra sets of front and rear caps, four extra batteries, and my Delkin flash card tote with a single spare 128gb card. Total weight: 34 1/4 pounds, about ten pounds lighter than average. Note that the lens hoods for the 500 II and the 1-4II go in the checked bag along with the Induro GIT 304L and the Mongoose M3.6. That 1D X II is one heavy body …
To order a Think Tank bag, receive a free gift, and support the work that I do here on the blog, please click here.
I got lots of work done on the LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-adjusting Tutorial e-Guide on my flight from Orlando to Seattle and then again on my flight to Anchorage.
More Exposure and Manual Mode Learning …
If you wish to continue your education with regards to these two topics be sure to re-visit yesterday’s blog post here and read and study my replies to the many comments. Seriously.
Canon EOS 5Ds Digital Camera Body
Price Reduced $300 on July 16, 2017.
Robert Blanke is also offering a Canon EOS 5Ds body in like-new condition for $2249.00 (was $2549.00). The sale includes the original packaging, manuals, software, and cables, the SLR body, the body cap, the charger, and the LP-E6N battery that came in the box. Also included is insured ground shipping via UPS. Your items will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made. Please contact Robert via e-mail or by phone at (813) 417-8967 (Eastern time).
The huge, amazingly detailed image files from the 5Ds are ideal for serious portrait, corporate, landscape, and Urbex photographers; it does its best work in a studio environment. artie
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 29 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂 There may be few or no new blog posts for a week while I am in Alaska as we move the BAA Blog to a new server.
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
65-point Automatic Selection/AI Servo/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). The system selected an array of five AF points a bit less than half-way down the bird’s bill, on pretty much on the same plane as the bird’s eye. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial.
Today I would have used Upper Large Zone/AI Servo/Shutter button AF to ensure that the selected AF points were somewhere on the bird’s face. In fact, I do not keep 65-point AF active on any of my camera bodies because Large Zone AF is far superior. And with moving subjects, I now use shutter button AF 100% of the time.
Pacific race Brown Pelican scissors preening
Pelican Scissors Preening Perfection
The single most important factor having to do with the success of pelican scissors preening images is the orientation of the plane of the bird’s bill to the back of the camera. In today’s featured image that orientation is perfect with the plane of the bird’s bill 100% parallel to the imaging sensor. The second thing you are looking for is for the bill to be fully open. That’s another bingo for today’s featured image.
Carpet-Necked Pelicans
From gulls to shorebirds to pelicans and with many other bird families I have always enjoyed studying the various plumages. I find the color and patterns fascinating, and most of the time, these colors and patterns help you to age the bird and to better understand the plumage sequences. I created the phrase carpet necks several years ago as it perfectly describes the look of the back of the head and neck of adult pelicans that are molting from winter plumage (white hind neck) to breeding plumage (dark chocolate brown hind neck). The back of the heads and necks of these birds alway looked to me like a good piece of tightly woven slightly shaggy carpet.
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. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
2017 in San Diego was a very good year ….
2018 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART IPT: Monday, JAN 15 thru and including the morning session on Friday, JAN 19, 2018: 4 1/2 days: $2099.
Limit: 10: Openings: 4
Meet and Greet at 6:30pm on the evening before the IPT begins; Sunday, Jan 14, 2018.
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 (usually nesting and displaying) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Ring-necked Duck; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Wood Duck and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heerman’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seal (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lion; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the two IPT cards there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Please note: formerly dependable, both Wood Duck and Marbled Godwit have been declining at their usual locations for the past two years …
San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects. With annual visits spanning more than three decades I have lot of experience there….
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. 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 can do most of your photography with an 80- or 100-400 lens …
Did I mention that there are wealth of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter?
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.
The San Diego Details
This IPT will include five 3 1/2 hour morning photo sessions, four 2 1/2 hour afternoon photo sessions, four lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.
A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “Arthur Morris) to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 9/11//2016. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.
The San Diego Site Guide
If you cannot make or afford the IPT the San Diego Site Guide truly is the next best thing to being there with me. It is all very simple, you will learn where to be when depending on the wind and sky conditions.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
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.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
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 :).
It is quite amazing that I am pretty much back to normal as far as sleep and jet-lag are concerned after returning from Scotland, five time zones ahead, just two days ago. Tomorrow I fly to Alaska to get four times zones behind. My poor body 🙂 I worked on this blog post while heading for my airport hotel on Saturday afternoon.
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 28 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂 There may be few or no new blog posts for a week while I am in Alaska as we move the BAA Blog to a new server.
Backlit Incoming Puffin Save
Check out my repost of Mike Poole’s spectacular backlit landing puffin in the BirdPhotographers.Net (BPN) thread by scrolling down here. Amazingly, everything that I did to repair the mega-overexposed part of the bird’s head is detailed in the new 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. Just so you know, the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow.
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
These two baby puffin images were created late on our last landing on Inner Farnes after I got permission for our group to stay late. 🙂 I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering -1 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. WB: K5200.
LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -7.
AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. For the left-hand image it was one AF point up and one to the left of the center AF point. For the right hand image it was simply one AF point above the center AF point. In both cases the selected AF point was on the bird’s face.
DPP 4 Screen Capture of Atlantic Puffin “puffling” swimming in dark water
Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.
Puffling in Dark Water …
I first photographed the baby puffin in the dark water at -2/3. I had a few blinkies on the bird’s breast so I upped the shutter speed from 1/200 to 1/250. From that moment on I knew –with the constant light — that the correct exposure for the bird with it’s white breast was ISO 800, 1/250 sec. at f/9. End of discussion but keep reading 🙂
This image was created at 16:07:06.
Note the RGB Values!
To create the DPP 4 screen captures above and below I placed the cursor roughly on the same spot on the baby puffin’s breast. In the dark water image the RGB values were 233, 235, 240. In the light water image the RGB values were 233, 238, 241. The values were nearly identical. This is 100% proof that the correct exposure for the puffin’s white breast in the dark water image and the correct exposure for the puffin’s white breast in the light water image were pretty much identical as well.
Note the two histograms!
If you take a close look at the two RGB histograms you will note the bulk of the data to the left in the first image. This represents the dark tones of the water (and of parts of the puffin). In the second image the bulk of the data is to the right representing the light-toned water. But note that on the right each of the channels end at pretty much the same spot. Why? Because you have properly exposed for the highlights.
These two baby puffin images were created late on our last landing on Inner Farnes after I got permission for our group to stay late. 🙂 I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/250 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. WB: K5200.
LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -7.
AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. For the left-hand image it was one AF point up and one to the left of the center AF point. For the right hand image it was simply one AF point above the center AF point. In both cases the selected AF point was on the bird’s face.
DPP 4 Screen Capture of Atlantic Puffin “puffling” swimming in light-toned water
Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.
Puffling in Light Water …
This image was created four seconds later at 16:07:11. Note that in those four seconds I moved the AF point one to the right. Note that the manual exposure settings remained exactly the same.
For the Zillionth Time!
For the zillionth time, there is no “exposure compensation” when you are working in Manual mode. Note in the dark water image that when I say “Evaluative metering -1 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode” that I did not enter any exposure compensation. So where does the -1 stop come from? All good photographers (myself included) understand that when you are working in Manual mode that you can note the “exposure compensation” when you point the lens at something. If you are set up for a bird and you point the lens at the dark ground, it will show off scale minus, ie.e., a huge underexposure. With the puffling in dark water I noted that the analogue scale in the viewfinder was at -1 stop (as compared to the exposure that I had set manually, 1/250 sec. at f/9). When the bird swam into the very light water, I noted that the analogue scale in the viewfinder showed +1 2/3 stops (as compared to the exposure that I had set manually, 1/250 sec. at f/9).
Please notice and understand that the exposure settings never changed from ISO 800, 1/250 sec. at f/9. But as I followed the swimming bird by panning the lens to my left, the indicator on the analogue scale swung from -1 to + 1 2/3rds. If I had pointed the lens up to the sky it would like have showed something like +2 1/3 or +2 2/3.
If you are confused by the stuff above try this. Put an intermediate telephoto lens on your camera. Work in Manual mode. Point the lens somewhere with a large area of a single tone. Now null the meter by choosing an ISO, a shutter speed, and an aperture that results in the indicator on the analogue scale resting on the 0 (zero) mark. This indicates the suggested or the metered exposure. Now point the lens at something darker and note what happens to the indicator. It will move to the minus side of the scale. Now point the lens at something lighter and note what happens to the indicator. It will move to the plus side of the scale. Remember, that even though there is no “exposure compensation” when you are working in Manual mode; you can, however, always note the position of the indicator to determine where you are in relation to the metered exposure.
Which is the best mode when working in constant light with backgrounds of changing tonalities?
The best mode when working in constant light with backgrounds of changing tonalities is Manual mode. Once you determine the correct exposure for the subject you simply set it and forget it until the light changes. Working in Av mode would be nearly impossible as you would need to vary your exposure compensations often and drastically. In Manual mode you would be fine even if the puffling were in half white water and half dark water. Why? Because in constant light the right exposure for the bird is the right exposure for the bird. No matter the background.
So Many Manual Mode Misconceptions as to be Mind-boggling
As you can plainly see after studying the material above, the answers to the three questions that I posed in the original Puffling Exposure Questions blog post here two days ago, were straight-forward. I wrongly assumed that everyone who responded would nail each of the three questions. I was wrong. Way wrong.
I was buoyed when the first two folks to comment gave reasonable answers. But after that, it was pretty much downhill all the way. Below are some of those replies. The names of those who made the comments have been omitted 🙂
Huge Misconception #1:
With the dark bird and dark water I don’t see how you could be at minus.
The dark water causes the meter to open up, to go to a slower shutter speed. That would burn the whites on the puffins breast. You need minus exposure compensations in such situations, even in low light. Had the sun been out, I would have started at -2 stops … As early as the original The Art of Bird Photography I wrote often, sun out, white bird, dark blue water: -1 stop.
Huge Misconception #2:
Assuming it was cloudy day and the light did not change answer for both exposures would be +1/3..
It was cloudy and the light was constant but the above makes no sense at all as the background in one image was very dark and the background in the other image was very light …
Huge Misconception #3:
If you were in manual the exposure and compensation should have been the same for both.
Well, I was in Manual mode but the statement above shows zero understanding of how the indicator on the analogue scale works when you are in Manual mode …
Selling Books/Learning Exposure …
Do I like selling a few books? Absolutely. But there really is no reason for folks to struggle so much with digital exposure. If I have said it here once I have said it one thousand times, I can teach you to get the right exposure ten times out of ten in two minutes if you are working in constant light. All you need to do is work in Manual mode and adjust your settings until you have some data in the right-most box of the histogram. I have long recommended that serious photographers take the time to study and learn exposure theory. The best way to do that is to study the section on exposure theory in the original The Art of Bird Photography. Whether or not you wish to put in the time and the effort to do that, I would recommend that everyone study and master the section on Exposure Simplified in The Art of Bird Photography II (APB II: 916 pages, 900+ images on CD only or by download). You can save $10 by ordering the pair here.
Your Favorite?
Which of the two swimming puffliing images do you like best? Please let us know why and feel free to comment on the positives and negatives of each image.
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. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
The Fort DeSoto 2017 Fall IPT/September 22 (afternoon session) through the full day on September 25, 2017. 3 1/2 FULL DAYs: $1649. Limit 8.
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, gulls, and terns who winter on the T-shaped peninsula that serves as their wintering grounds. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Tricolored Heron are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. And 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 would not be unexpected.
Folks who sign up for the IPT are welcome to join us on the ITF/MWS on the morning of Tuesday, September 26 as my guest. See below for details on that.
On the IPT you will learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, 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. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
This IPT will run with only a single registrant (though that is not likely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Though I have not decided on a hotel yet — I will as soon as there is one sign-up — do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).
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 ten 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, gear advice, and instructions for meeting on the afternoon of Friday, September 22.
Fort DeSoto in fall is rich with tame birds. All of the images in this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or early October. I hope that you can join me there this October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
BIRDS AS ART In-the-Field/Meet-up Workshop Session (ITF/MWS): $99.
Join me on the morning of Tuesday September 26, 2017 for 3-hours of photographic instruction at Fort DeSoto Park. Beginners are welcome. Lenses of 300mm or longer are recommended but even those with 70-200s should get to make some nice images. Teleconverters are always a plus.
You will learn the basics of digital exposure and image design, autofocus basics, and how to get close to free and wild birds. We should get to photograph a variety of wading birds, shorebirds, terns, and gulls. This inexpensive afternoon workshop is designed to give folks a taste of the level and the quality of instruction that is provided on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-tour. I hope to meet you there.
To register please call Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand to pay the nominal non-refundable registration fee. You will receive a short e-mail with instructions, gear advice, and meeting place at least two weeks before the event.
BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT.
Fort DeSoto Site Guide
Can’t make the IPT? Get yourself a copy of the Fort DeSoto Site Guide. Learn the best spots, where to be when in what season in what weather. Learn the best wind directions for the various locations. BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. You can see all of them here.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
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.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
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 :).
My jet-lag was much abated on Friday. I micro-adjusted a few wide angle lenses for my upcoming Bear Boat IPT trip, did some more work on the LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-adjustment e-Guide, and began packing as well. I head up to an airport hotel this afternoon, and fly all the way to Kodiak, AK on Sunday.
Just so you know, this seemingly simple blog post took more than three hours to create, most of that early on Saturday morning. Now that I have finished it I need to get packing 🙂
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 27 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂 There may be few or no new blog posts for a week while I am in Alaska as we move the BAA Blog to a new server.
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 my terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold just about everything in sight. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the original 400mm IS DO lens have been dropping steadily.
Used Gear Cautions
Though I am not in a position to post images of gear for sale here or elsewhere, prospective buyers are encouraged to request photos of the gear that they are interested in purchasing via e-mail. Doing so will help to avoid any misunderstandings as to the condition of the gear. Sellers are advised to photograph their used gear with care against clean backgrounds so that the stuff is represented accurately and in the best light; please pardon the pun :).
Important Note for Sellers on Cashier’s Checks
Do understand that getting a cashier’s check for your gear is no guarantee of anything. You need to get the check to the bank asap. Years ago I “sold” an EOS 1D Mark III for $3,000 to a guy in California. I tried Fed Ex collect. The driver handed the camera to the guy. The guy handed him what appeared to be a Bank of North America teller’s check. When we brought the check to BONA they said, sorry, it’s phony. I followed up with the Lake Wales police. They got in touch with the police in the guy’s home town. They did nothing.
I was out 3,000 bucks. Getting a cashier’s check for your gear is no guarantee of anything.
Used Gear Sales Testimonials
Unsolicited via e-mail from David Ramirez
Hi Artie, It’s been a few weeks but I just wanted to thank you for your Used Gear Sales service. I sold my 5DIII in no time at all for the excellent price you recommended. Thanks again, David
Handwritten note from Dr. Gil Moe
Dear Artie, Enclosed is a check for $401.40. You do such a great job with the used gear sales and pricing and make it so easy. Thank you, thank you! Regards, Gil
Unsolicited via e-mail from Tom Phillips
Artie, Well, that was awesome for us all. Roger received the 300mm today and is happy, and James bought the 1Dx Mk II and the 400mm within minutes of it being listed on the first Saturday! I know you have a lot of readers and followers but your advice on pricing was right on to sell and also allowed me to get a good price, make the buyers happy, and make you some money too. I want to thank you very much! Tom
Unsolicited, via e-mail, from Gerry Keshka
Hi Artie, I wanted to share how much I appreciate your Used Gear “service.” You have posted how you help sellers, but the other side of the equations is how much this service helps buyers. I have purchased three lenses (Canon 200-400, 500 f4 II, and 70-200 F2.8) all lovely experiences and I saved almost $5K over retail. Each of the sellers was delightful, willing to help me assess if the purchase was right for me by sharing their experience with the lens. Each lens was in the condition advertised (or better), and typically included several “add-ons” that would have cost several hundred dollars.
Thanks for all you do for the photographic community Artie. Gerry
Unsolicited, via e-mail, from Teresa Mabry Reed
Artie, Thanks for a positive experience in selling my used equipment. Best, Teresa
Unsolicited, via e-mail, from top BAA Used Gear seller Jim Keener
The BAA Used Gear Page is the best place I’ve found for selling my used cameras and lenses.
I used eBay and Craigslist until I began checking in at BIRDS AS ART. I saw the gear listed for sale at BAA and it struck me that the people who visit the site are like me in some important ways. We own high quality, often expensive gear. It’s important to us, and we likely take care of it. In other words, a good market exists. And I noticed how Artie marketed each item. Informative, without too big a push. That’s why I decided to try BAA.
The process was easy. I clearly accepted the terms of sale, fully and fairly described what I was selling and the good and bad. I listed the stuff to be included with in the sale. Then Artie came back with what he thought was a fair price, leaving it to me to determine the balance between urgency of the sale and receiving a high price. I’ve followed his lead.
The responses I’ve received from potential buyers have been reassuring. Each has been well informed and courteous. They have not expected perfection, but have fully expected fairness and clarity. I’ve found that providing many photographs of what I’m selling is very helpful in the completing the various transactions.
I’m writing this because of how glad I am to find a place where there is a good market for what I want to sell and what I want to buy — I just tried to buy a 300mm f/2.8 II, but it has sold. The buyers and sellers are informed and fair-minded. And artie offers friendly and experienced advice. I’ve enjoyed the process. The BAA Used Gear page is the best experience I’ve had buying and selling gear.
Unsolicited, via e-mail, from Owen Peller
I sold my 400 f/4 IS DO lens for the asking price. Thank you. Your service is truly better than any of the alternatives.
Artie, Thanks so much. I sent your check via my online banking. I never expected the 400 DO II and the 1DX II to sell within minutes of your posting the ad! I know that the 300 f/2.8 II is still up, but still, the results have been amazing. Another plus is that James McGrew is a professional artist and photographer and he was really looking and wanting that combo and is appreciative and excited to be able to find a great deal. Tom.
Recent Sales
Multiple IPT veteran Brent Bridges sold his Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports lens for Canon EF in near-mint condition for only $999, his Sigma Sigma TC-1401 1.4x teleconverter for Canon EF in near-mint condition for a ridiculously low $129, and his Induro CT 304 carbon fiber tripod in mint condition for only $199, all in early July.
Brooke Miller sold her Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 APO DG OS (optical stabilizer) lens for Canon AF in like-new condition for the giving-it-away price of $749 in early July.
Erik Hagstrom sold a Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemprary lens for Canon EF in excellent plus condition for $699 in early July.
Multiple IPT veteran Dr. Gil Moe sold an Xtrahand Vest, size XL Plus for $249 in late June.
Multiple IPT veteran Brent Bridges sold his Canon EOS 5D Mark III body in near-mint condition and a Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens in excellent condition for the very low price of $1499. He also sold a Canon EOS 7D Mark II body in very good plus condition for the record-low BAA price of $839, a used Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens (the old 1-4) in excellent condition with extras for $599, and a Canon EF Extender 1.4X III in near-mint condition for $329. All on the first day the items were listed.
Tom Phillips sold his Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for $4,199 the day it was listed in mid-June.
Newest Listings
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens
Priced to Sell!
Dwaine Tollefsrud is offering a Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II lens in excellent condition for the record-low BAA price of $3999. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the lens trunk, the leather front lens cover, the lens strap, the original product box, a LensCoat, and 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 1-605-716-0847 (Mountain time).
The 300 f/2.8 autofocus lenses have long been the first choice for the world’s best hawks in flight photographers with and without a 1.4X TC. When teamed up with either the 1.4X or 2X TC it makes a great hand holdable walk-around lens. Dwaine’s lens will save you an incredible $2,199! I owned and used several versions of the 300 f/2.8 lens for many years until finally replacing my 300 f/2.8 II with the 400 DO II about a year ago. artie
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
100% crop of the original eye and face
The Big Problem
When creating today’s featured image (below), I remember waiting for the bird in the background to turn its head toward me so that I could fit it into the frame. When it did, I fired off two frames. The big problem, as you can see in the 100% crop of the original image (above), was that the nictitating membrane was just starting to close. That ruined the frame. In the next frame, the main subject — the puffin on our right — had turned its head a bit away from me. But, the visible eye was fully open. It was a simple matter of converting both images in DPP 4, painting a Quick Mask of the good eye, placing that on its own layer, and moving it roughly into position with the Move Tool (V). Then I reduced the opacity of the new eye to 50% and carefully positioned it with the Move Tool using the left, right, up and down arrow keys. I used the Transform command to rotate it as needed and the Warp command to shape it. Next I raised the opacity to 100%, added a Regular Layer Mask, painted away the whole layer, hit X, and, working large, painted back in exactly what I needed to complete the repair. Easy peasy.
One row up and four AF points to the right of the center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point fell on the bird’s cheek just behind and right on the same plane as the bird’s eye. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.
Atlantic Puffin, juxtaposed heads
Tips on Creating Pleasing Juxtapositional Images
There are so many puffins on the rocks at both Staple and Inner Farnes that isolating a single puffin can be a challenge. Long focal lengths can often help in such situations. But not always. At times, your eye can spot a potentially pleasing juxtaposition where the puffins (or puffins) in the background become a plus rather than a distracting element. The trick is to act quickly to choose the ideal perspective; in many cases the pleasing juxtaposition might last just a few seconds at most before one of the birds (or one of the animals) relocates. Once I noted the potentially decent situation seen here, I moved my tripod a mere 4 inches to my right, waited a bit, and then created today’s featured image.
Easy Image Design Question
To improve this image a bit should I have pointed the lens a bit to my right or a bit to my left? Why? (Hint: there are two good reasons why for the correct answer …)
The Additional Image Optimization Stuff
After replacing the bad eye, I did a bit of bill and cheek clean-up as the bird on the right was something of a mess. In addition, I did some Eye Doctor work on the new eye that included lightening and using Blur > Surface Blur on the iris. I added a bit of BLACK to the BLACKs and the NEUTRALs in Selective Color, and finished the image off with an unusually high (+75) increase in the Vibrance.
Everything above plus tons and tons more is detailed in the new 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. Just so you know, the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow.
You can learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. And you can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in the The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.
The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac/Photo Mechanic/Photoshop workflow that will make it easy for you to make your images better in Photoshop (rather than worse). That true whether you convert your images in DPP 4 or ACR. See the blog post here to learn lots more and to read a free excerpt.
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.
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. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
2017 in San Diego was a very good year ….
2018 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART IPT: Monday, JAN 15 thru and including the morning session on Friday, JAN 19, 2018: 4 1/2 days: $2099.
Limit: 10: Openings: 4
Meet and Greet at 6:30pm on the evening before the IPT begins; Sunday, Jan 14, 2018.
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 (usually nesting and displaying) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Ring-necked Duck; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Wood Duck and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heerman’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seal (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lion; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the two IPT cards there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Please note: formerly dependable, both Wood Duck and Marbled Godwit have been declining at their usual locations for the past two years …
San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects. With annual visits spanning more than three decades I have lot of experience there….
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. 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 can do most of your photography with an 80- or 100-400 lens …
Did I mention that there are wealth of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter?
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.
The San Diego Details
This IPT will include five 3 1/2 hour morning photo sessions, four 2 1/2 hour afternoon photo sessions, four lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.
A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “Arthur Morris) to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 9/11//2016. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.
The San Diego Site Guide
If you cannot make or afford the IPT the San Diego Site Guide truly is the next best thing to being there with me. It is all very simple, you will learn where to be when depending on the wind and sky conditions.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
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.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
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 :).
