Which two of today’s five featured 2023 Nickerson Beach images are the strongest? Which is the weakest? Please let us know why you made your choices.
Which two images required the use of Topaz Sharpen AI to reduce motion blur on the face?
My Call
In the last blog post, the worst image for me, by far, was #2, the bathing Lesser Yellowlegs. For some reason, if I cannot see a shorebird’s white belly, it turns me off. And in general, I do not like overall dark images. My very favorite photo was #3, the beautifully designed skimmer family image. I was quite surprised that several folks chose that one as the worst.
What’s Up?
Shame on the folks who run Gateway National Park. For about the 8th time in the last ten years, the East Pond at Jamaica Bay WR is too flooded for either birding or bird photography. It was also strange to me that nobody mentioned the fact hat it looked pretty good for ISO 4000!
Nickerson Beach, on the other hand, has been fantastic. On Saturday evening, I went light with just the 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II lens and both TCS and came up with some neat images.
Today is Sunday 13 August 2023. I headed to the beach early after a vicious overnight thunder and lightning storm with lots of wind and rain. Today is a great day to consider joining me on Long Island. I will be here through Thursday morning and fly home this coming Friday.
Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.
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The Fact$ of Life
The market for editorial sales of natural history images has virtually disappeared. The incomes of the world’s top stock photographers are down by at least 90%. Like me, many depend on income from photo trips, the sale of educational materials, and income from this or that affiliate program.
In 2001, BAA sold the publication rights to images for nearly one-quarter million US dollars. That amount dropped to about $20,000 by 2011, and in 2017, to slightly more than $2,000.00. We’ve stopped counting. IPTs used to fill within days. Now I am happy to go with one or two folks, but I’d much rather have you along. And so it goes. In 2009, I turned to creating educational blog posts, now to the tune of 4063! Yes, 4063 educational blog posts. Please, therefore, remember to use either my B&H or Bedfords affiliate links for your major purposes. It will not cost you one cent to do either.
B&H
Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.
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Money Saving Reminder
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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.
JBWR/Nickerson Beach Sessions
Nickerson will is rife with Black Skimmer chicks and fledglings and lots offeegins and flight photography. If you would like to explore the possibility of joining me for an inexpensive In-the-Field Session or two at either or both locations, please get in touch ASAP via e-mail or call or text me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Monday morning at Nickerson is sold out.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face-Eye detection enabled was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.
Image #1: Black Skimmer at dawn in the Red Light District
More Red Light District Images
On clear mornings with winds from the west, conditions are poor for traditional (front lit) bird photography and especially for flight photography. Why? Because all the birds will be flying, landing, and taking off away from you when the sun is at your back. Such conditions, however, are perfect for creating Red Light District-type images of backlit birds on the beach, bathed in red, orange, or yellow light. I make sure to be at the beach a full thirty minutes before sunrise. Join me soon at Nickerson to learn how to create dramatic images like this one.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face-Eye detection enabled was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.
Image #2: Black Skimmer fledgling begging
Bird Face-Eye Detection AF-C at 1200mm
The performance of Bird Face-Eye Detection AF-C at 1200mm is stunning. It will find and track the eye almost instantly. If you are using Tracking: Zone with the brackets in the center, the system will see the eye if it is outside the brackets! And as we have seen before many times, a1 images made at 1200mm are mind-bogglingly sharp as long as you have enough shutter. Check out the shutter speed used to create Image #1.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face-Eye detection enabled was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.
Image #3: Juvenile Skimmer after getting smashed by a big wave
Oblivious to Humans and Waves!
This little guy was bravely walking along the edge of the surf, stopping every so often for a sip or water. I was with my friend Roger — he comes in the afternoons and always has his little white dog peeking out of his backpack. Anyhoo, we’d get on sun angle and the bird would walk right at us. We’d get up and move well to the west and let the bird come to us. And come he would. At one point the juvie skimmer got within two feet of the end of Roger’s Nikkor 500mm PF lens. At one point, as I was moving back, the bird got slammed by a big wave and dragged out to sea. I created image #3 as he made his way back to shore and to safety.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face-Eye detection enabled was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.
Image #4: Common Tern with Atlantic Silversides for chick
Think Fast!
I was working at 1200mm off the flatten tripod. That puts the lens about ten inches off the ground. This bird, holding a big Spearing in its bill landed at pint blank range right in front of me and right down sun angle. We used speaking as bait to catch snappers — baby Bluefish about six to eight inches long. My Dad’s mom, Grandma Selma, would cut off the heads, pull out the guts, bread them, and fry them up for me. Anyhoo, I wanted to go vertical but the a1 screen only tilts horizontally, so I did my best to fit the bird into the frame. When it turned to the side, I took more time with the framing and deliberately included only the front 3/4 of the bird, and made a series of about six images before it took flight. One was pretty close to perfect.
I knew that because the bird was so close to me that it would only stay on the ground for a few seconds. If you even think of removing the teleconverter in such instances, you will almost always wind up with nothing.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face-Eye detection enabled was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.
Image #5: Black Skimmer chick about 2-weeks old
Skimmer Chicks of Varying Sizes
One of the best things about Nickerson in August is that there are about half fledged and flying young. A bit less than half are large, handsome unfledged chicks and there are a smattering of small chicks like the bird in Image #5. This season has been a banner one for skimmer productivity as there are many hundreds of young birds. Yesterday I saw the first large skimmer chick predation by Great Black-backed Gull.
Despite deplorable conditions — wind against a bright sun — at Nickerson Beach Park this morning, Friday 11 AU 2023, I did quite well. There are a zillion black Skimmer chicks and about half a zillion Common Tern chicks. Nearly all of the other photographers there had zero clue as to handle the tough situation.
What is the World Coming To?
For as long as I can remember, I have always had Sports Center or Jeopardy or Chopped running on TIVO as background when I am working on the laptop, that usually in excess of many hours every day for one reason of another. More and more recently, I have found myself turning off the TV and listening to a John Prine mix on you tube. On Saturday, “I Remember Everything” popped up first. I happened to glance at the video. For the next 3:09 I watched and listened, captivated by the words, the sounds, the old photographs, and the old letters and postcards. Can you say heartwarming and poignant? I choked up and cried a bit at times — How I miss you in the morning light, like roses miss the dew. Then I watched it again.
This is the official lyric video for the last recorded song by John Prine before his death on April 7, 2020. The song was written by Prine and his longtime collaborator Pat McLaughlin. And to think that I had never heard of Prine until two years ago. Use the little white search box on the upper right of each blog post and type in John Prine for links to more of his great music.
Your Call?
Please leave a comment letting us know which you feel is the weakest of today’s three featured images. Be sure to let us know why you made your choice. I have a clear favorite as to which one is the worst of the three. I will share that with you here on Sunday.
My Call
In the last blog post, the Lesser Yellowlegs striding and the adult oystercatcher in sweet afternoon light were my two favorites. Why? The background in each image was sublime. And the skimmer chick being brooded did not exactly suck either (though one reader disagreed with me).
What’s Up?
Jim and I became ensnared in an horrific traffic jam on I-4 on the way to the airport on Thursday mornings. Had Maps not suggested an alternative route, I would have miss my flight to Islip for sure.
After a blessedly uneventful flight (my favorite kind), I arrived on time at ISP, picked up a rental car, paid a brief visit to younger daughter Alissa, headed to the Fish Store in Babylon, and then drove to my VRRBO lodgings in Valley Stream.
Today is Friday 11 August 2023. I will likely be at Nickerson early this morning and probably the East Pond this afternoon. If you love shorebirds, terns, and gulls, late summer through fall is a great time to get out into the field and do lots of bird photography. In particular, the southbound plovers, oystercatchers, and sandpipers are usually quite cooperative; the Common Tern chicks on Long Island are fledged and flying, and the skimmer chicks there are getting larger; some are flying. Today is a great day to consider joining me on Long Island — three folks already have, or on a DeSoto IPT. Many IPT veteran John Dupps is joining me for the November IPT; we will probably be sharing an AirBnB in Gulfport!
JBWR/Nickerson Beach Sessions
Nickerson will be rife with Black Skimmer chicks and fledglings and lots of flight photography. Juvenile shorebird photography opportunities at my soul place, the East Pond, JBWR, will peak this coming week (for about three mornings). If you would like to explore the possibility of joining me for an inexpensive In-the-Field Session or two at either or both locations, please get in touch ASAP via e-mail or call or text me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Monday morning at JBW is sold out.
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Tracking: Expand Spot AF-C with Bird Face-Eye detection enabled was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.
Image #1: Juvenile Kildeer
Killdeer at JBWR
Adult Killdeer at the East Pond are notoriously shy. Even the juveniles of this species are usually skittish. When working last August with Muhammand Arif, we were blessed to find this relatively tame bird in fresh juvenal plumage. In more than 30 years of photography at the East Pond, I have never gotten close enough to a killdeer photograph one. Note that each feather of the upperparts sports a narrow reddish-brown fringe that gives the bird its warm and evenly patterned look. Most juvenile shorebirds have a similar look.
Shorebirds: Beautiful Beachcombers
Shorebirds: Beautiful Beachcombers was written — by me 🙂 — for naturalists and birders, the text tells you everything you’ve always wanted to know about North America’s sandpipers, godwits, yellowlegs, phalaropes, plovers, avocets, stilts, and oystercatchers. Topics covered include identification and aging, shorebird behavior including their incredible migrations, feeding and diet, mating and breeding strategies, eggs, nests, and young, conservation efforts, and shorebirding tips. Also included are approximately 50 species accounts covering all of the regularly occurring North American shorebird species. With 70 of my images and 26 more by some of the world’s best nature photographers, the book contains the one of the finest collections of shorebird photographs ever published in a single volume.
Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face-Eye detection enabled was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.
Image #2: Lesser Yellowlegs — juvenile bathing
Bath Time
As do the shallow pools at Fort DeSoto, the shallow waters along the edges of the East Pond attract many species of terns, gulls, and shorebirds anxious to have a nice bath. Once you see a bird dipping its breast into the water and splashing around, there is a 95% that it will flap after its bath. And 95% of the time, the bird will face into the breeze or the wind. Knowing these simple bird photography basics can enable you to come up with some great images that others might be missed. An additional fine point is that the birds will most often choose to bathe in a specific depth. When one bird finishes bathing and flies off, another will often opt to bathe in the exact same spot. Your patience will often be rewarded. Join my on an IPT or an In-the-Field session to learn dozens of professional tips that will help you elevate your came and the quality of your images.
Frame-rate Tip
I have long recommended that no matter what camera body you use for bird photography, that you set your camera to achieve the maximum frame-rate. With the Sony A1, that is an impressive 30-frames per second. I have run across more than a few folks who set their cameras to one of the slower frame-rates so that they can “save card space and reduce their length of their editing (picking their keepers) sessions”. IMHO, this is a very poor strategy, especially when photographing birds in flight and in action. And when bathing. The fastest frame-rate will always give you more photos to choose from than a slower one. And in most cases, a single frame will stand out as clearly best. You never want to increase your chances of missing the shot by using less than the maximum frame-rate.
By using Photo Mechanic to choose your keepers, you can learn to edit a 2,000-image folder in less than 15 minutes. Use this link to purchase your Photo Mechanic license and forward your receipt to me e-mail and request my set-up information and a video tutorial.
Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face-Eye detection enabled was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.
Image #3: Black Skimmer feeding chick
Afternoon Delight
Sunny August afternoons with a breeze from the south or the west are great for photographing the Black Skimmer families. On really hot and really windy afternoons, the adult skimmers spend a lot of time in the air squabbling. Super-telephoto zoom lenses like the Sony 200-600mm G lens are ideal for photographing the midair fights. I will likely visit Nickerson on Friday morning. As I was there for 5 weeks in early summer, I am anxious to see how the nests close to the colony ropes fared. Stay tuned for details, and hopefully, for images.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
In the Lunatic Action (Part I) blog post here, my two favorite images were #1 and #4. I went with Image #1 because of its sharpness and simplicity, and I did like the o-o-f loon in the background. And I went with #4 because I had never before created even a lousy image of this species in flight.
Most folks liked #3 best:
Chris Davidson/August 5, 2023 at 10:11am
Wow! Wonderful set of RT Loon images, Art! I love all of them, but #3 is a step or two above the others IMO. The completely outstretched legs, the splash of water, and the wing position all seem to complement the sleek body in the wonderful take off capture. After that both #2 and #4 look to be close seconds. #4 is so beautiful and I love the loon’s lowered head as it comes in for the landing.
What’s Up?
I have been packing like a fiend getting ready of my spur-of-the-moment Long Island trip and got a ton of stuff done on Tuesday. After many many months of hard work over hundreds of hours, I sent the final version of the new flight guide to Arash Hazeghi. Huge thanks to David Pugsley for his three careful edits of late drafts of the e-Guide and to my right-hand man, Jim Litzenberg, for taking a last minute look at the manuscript. He found about a dozen errors that had previously avoided detection.
I fly to Islip on Thursday morning. For me, today, Wednesday 9 August 2023, will be more of the same — finish packing and tend to e-mails. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that hope that you too choose to have a great day.
If you love shorebirds, terns, and gulls, late summer through fall is a great time to get out into the field and do lots of bird photography. In particular, the southbound plovers, oystercatchers, and sandpipers are usually quite cooperative; the Common Tern chicks on Long Island are fledged and flying, and the skimmer chicks there are getting larger; some are flying. Today is a great day to consider joining me on Long Island — three folks already have, or on a DeSoto IPT. Many IPT veteran John Dupps is joining me for the November IPT; we will probably be sharing an AirBnB in Gulfport!
JBWR/Nickerson Beach Sessions
As I am not flying to Ecuador for 2023 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime until 27 August, I made arrangements yesterday to visit Long Island leaving tomorrow — Thursday 10 AUG, and returning home the following Friday — 18 AUG. Nickerson will be rife with Black Skimmer chicks and fledglings and lots of flight photography. Juvenile shorebird photography opportunities at my soul place, the East Pond, JBWR, will peak next week (for about three mornings). If you would like to explore the possibility of joining me for an inexpensive In-the-Field Session or two at either or both locations, please get in touch ASAP via e-mail or call or text me on my cell at 863-221-2372.
Tracking: Expand Spot AF-C Bird Face-Eye detection enabled was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.
Image #1: Black Skimmer brooding large chick
On Getting Low
When photographing shorebirds or beach-nesting birds at any time of the year, getting lower will make more than 95% of your images stronger. Join me at Nickerson or DeSoto to learn about working behind your lowered or flattened tripod, about using the toe-pod or foot pod techniques, and about putting your lens hood on the sand or mud.
At times you might need to work a bit higher to eliminate distracting background elements, but for the most part, getting lower is better as the images are very intimate and the backgrounds softer.
Black Skimmer Chicks
The entire month of August is the bomb for photographing skimmer chicks. In mid-month, the chicks begin to explore the beach outside of the colony ropes. Cloudy mornings give you the opportunity to work the chicks that are still inside the ropes. Both fledged and unfledged chicks make great snacks for the gulls, particularly the Great Black-backed Gulls. Needless to say, there is lots of action. I still need one great image of a fledged, flying young Black Skimmer.
Tracking: Zone AF/C Bird Face-Eye detection enabled was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.
Image #2: Lesser Yellowlegs juvenile striding
Juvenile Shorebirds in New York City
The mudflats and the shallow brackish water at the edge of the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, New York (yes, JBWR is in NYC!), have made the pond the best location that I know of to photograph southbound shorebirds in fresh juvenal plumage for many decades. Though there is no tide in the pond, the very best days are tidal-related. Join me there next week to learn the ropes at the East Pond and to learn about the creation of this wonderful pond in the mid-1950s. And about shorebird aging and identification. And best of all, I will bring you to the spots where you can get the sweetest green backgrounds. With this image, the greens are almost surreal.
Shorebirds: Beautiful Beachcombers
Shorebirds: Beautiful Beachcombers was written — by me 🙂 — for naturalists and birders, the text tells you everything you’ve always wanted to know about North America’s sandpipers, godwits, yellowlegs, phalaropes, plovers, avocets, stilts, and oystercatchers. Topics covered include identification and aging, shorebird behavior including their incredible migrations, feeding and diet, mating and breeding strategies, eggs, nests, and young, conservation efforts, and shorebirding tips. Also included are approximately 50 species accounts covering all of the regularly occurring North American shorebird species. With 70 of my images and 26 more by some of the world’s best nature photographers, the book contains the one of the finest collections of shorebird photographs ever published in a single volume.
This image was created on 7 October 2022 on a Fort DeSoto Fall IPT. I used the toe-pod technique with the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens
the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 560mm), and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 500. 1/3200 sec. at f/5 (stopped down 2/3-stop) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 6:09:42pm on a sunny afternoon.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #3: American Oystercatcher in sweet light
Sweet Afternoon Light
Friend David Pugsley says that Fort DeSoto should patent the distinctive and luscious backgrounds that are available to photographers who get their lenses as low as possible. Heck, it was David who taught me the toe-pod technique at Jacksonville a few years ago. Throw in the very sweet light on a sunny afternoon and you have a winning combination.
This bird was photographed on the same afternoon and in the same spot as the Bar-tailed Godwit, a mega-rarity, that visited North Beach for several weeks in 2022.
Via Text from Andrew Schonbek
Thanks for the great DeSoto IPT, Artie. It was an eye-opening experience in many ways. I have lots to work on and practice in the aftermath. Looking forward to learning more in the future. Andrew
Via Text from Stu Goz
Much love and respect to you. On the 3rd DeSoto IPT you shared a million dollars’ worth of insight for pennies.
Via e-mail from Stu Goz
Here’s cliche number one: I don’t write reviews.
Cliche number two: I’m making an exception in this one case.
I am writing this a week after my first IPT because I needed to let it all sink in properly – I needed to decompress. I’m probably not fully there yet, even now, but it’s time.
My biggest take-away is that Artie’s masterpieces are well-earned. There was never a time when I’ve seen someone work harder than he did. It was inspirational, humbling, and fascinating to watch him. Once he was in his element, the magic started immediately, and his passion was apparent for the duration of each session. My next takeaway is how unbelievably gracious, honest, and generous he is. Anyone who follows his blog already knows this (and if you don’t, you should), but Artie is an educator to the core. He is quick to explain his thought processes at any time, and leads by example.
After each session, we had a nice meal and discussed what made good photos good and bad photos bad. Enlightening. And sometimes sad. But so much better for it all. These days, more than any other time, it is the extra effort that separates the pros from the amateurs – getting low in the muck, as needed – knowing when to move, and when to stay, and doing it unwaveringly. I created so many images that I’m proud of. Artie has a great way of teaching without belittling, which keeps your mind open to his many lessons.
Artie, you are a national treasure, a never-ending source of inspiration, and a perfect mentor. I wish I could shoot right next to you every weekend.
I hope to see you again soon; your friend.
Stu Goz
All images from SEPT/OCT/NOV at Fort DeSoto.
Click on the image to enjoy a larger, sharper high-resolution version.
Clockwise from upper left to center: Piping Plover flapping after bath, juvenile Laughing Gull with feather, American Oystercatcher with sea urchins, Willet foraging in surf, American White Pelican juvenile swimming, skimmer/tern/shorebird blast-off blur, American White Pelican in flight, Black-bellied Plover stealing lugworm from Marbled Godwit, Roseate Spoonbill staring.
The Fall 2023 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tours
Fall 2023 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #1
3 1/2 Days: Tuesday 26 September through the morning session on Friday 29 September 2023. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers.
Fall 2023 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #2
3 1/2 Days: Tuesday 17 October through the morning session on Friday 20 October 2023. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers.
Fall 2023 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #3
3 1/2 Days: Tuesday 14 November through the morning session on Friday 17 November 2023. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers; openings: five.
Fall Bird Photography at Fort DeSoto
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds, terns, and gulls in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, and night-herons that winter on the T-shaped peninsula. With any luck at all, we should get to photograph one of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher is pretty much guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. And there should be some quality Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed, Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two.
On this IPT, all will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button. Everyone will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. Most importantly, you will surely learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it). The best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever and whenever you photograph.
Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, juvenile Tricolored Heron, Marbled Godwits, Great Blue Heron, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Stork, smiling Sea Scallop, Ruddy Turnstone scavenging needlefish, Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette at my secret spot, and southbound migrant tern flock blur.
The Details
There will be a Photoshop/image review session during or after lunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
These IPTs will run with only a single registrant (though that is not guaranteed). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with Gulfport AirBnB/VRBO information. If you register soon and would like to share an AirBnB with me, shoot me an e-mail. Other possibilities including taking a cab to and from the airport to our AirBnB and riding with me for $50/day. This saves you both gas and the cost of a rental car.
A $600 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check one month before the trip. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with six folks, so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand, or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions on lodging.
Up Early, Stay Out Late!
Obviously, folks attending an IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of the sweetest light and sunrise and sunset colors (when possible). The good news is that the days are relatively short in early fall. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving. On cloudy days, we may — at the leader’s discretion, stay out in the morning for a long session and skip the afternoon session. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. And so that we can get some sleep, dinners will sometimes be on your own as well.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
