Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

What’s Up?

Walking, swimming, eating and sleeping well, and working hard. Along with lots of NFL games and MLB playoff baseball thanks to TIVO.

It was looking as if I had my Nikon 600 VR and my gripped D850 sold, but the buyer back out. If you are seriously interested, please shoot me an e-mail. My 500 PF and the rest are also available.

A New Approach

SONY a7r iii Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

I am offering a slightly used SONY a7r iii Mirrorless Digital camera body — the very one that made all of the great images in the last few blog posts as well as the one presented here today — for the very low price of $1998.00. The camera is in excellent plus condition. But for some tiny nicks and scratches on the base of the camera, it would be near mint; it has less than 12,000 actuations. The sale includes the original box and everything that came in it. Your purchase includes insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Others are invited to e-mail for shipping surcharge info. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact me via e-mail or leave a message on my cell phone at 863-221-2372 (Eastern time zone).

You’ve seen the images … Simply put, the a7r iii is a great camera body. It is selling new right now at B&H for $2998.00 (with a $500 instant rebate …) and the new a7r iv is going for $3,498.00! You can save a very cool $500.00 by grabbing my a7r iii right now. artie

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1,000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon, Nikon, or SONY gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order.

Gear Questions and Advice

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

This image was created on one of our two North Seymour landings on July 23 on the 2019 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT. I used the handheld Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter (at at 560mm) and the high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 3200. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/160 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. AWB at 5:48pm when a large cloudy covered the sun. Flexible Spot (S) Continuous/tracking AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was placed on the gull’s left eye. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Swallow-tailed Gull tight preening

Pushing the Envelope with the SONY a7r iii

There is a pair of beautiful tame gulls courting on the rocks but they are strongly backlit. Then a big cloud covers the sun completely and allows me to get the perspective that I want. But we are headed back to the ship and need to be off the island by 6:00pm and the light level is very low. I don’t like the wide shot so I add the TC, set the aperture wide open, choose a shutter speed of 1/160 sec (with some trepidation), and raise the ISO (to 3200) on the rear wheel until the faintest Zebras appear on the white patch above the bird’s bill. As one of the bird’s preens, I am quickly moving the AF point in an effort to keep it squarely on the gull’s left eye. I made very few images and kept only two, but this frame was bingo!

ISO 3200 with the a7r iii is as clean as a whistle. No noise reduction was needed. The Optical Stabilization System (OSS) allowed me to make a very sharp image at a focal length (560mm) that was three and a half times greater than the shutter speed (1/160)! Not to mention that moving the AF point around the frame is an absolute pleasure with the a7r iii and that the AF is fast and accurate even with a TC.

“Pushing the Envelope”

From the very interesting Grammarist website here.

To push the envelope means to extend the boundary of what is possible, to take a risk by going farther than others think is acceptable. The term push the envelope was popularized in the early 1980s, following the publication of the book The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe. The book The Right Stuff chronicled American pilots who tested high-speed aircraft, including the early astronauts. Tom Wolfe quoted pilots using the term “pushing the outside of the envelope” to describe challenging speed records and other aerial feats. The envelope in question is the flight envelope, which includes all possible aircraft maneuvers. The idiom most probably originated among American pilots during World War II. After the publication of Wolfe’s book, the term push the envelope migrated into everyday English to be used in a figurative sense.

If In Doubt …

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

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

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

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

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

Facebook

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

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).

What’s Up?

In an effort to reduce my use of insulin or eliminate it completely, I have just begun a new eating plan: intermittent fasting. I am eating one meal at 10am and my second meal at 3pm. So I am fasting from about 4pm till 10am the next day. No snacking then, only water. The first day was easy. We (Dr. Cliff Oliver) and I are hoping to make my cells less insulin resistant. If you are interested, you can learn more by clicking here.

I enjoyed an excellent morning of photography on Wednesday and will be headed down to the lake for my walk and for more Sandhill Crane and vulture photography as soon as I finish this blog post. As noted below, there was a problem getting the balls for the new Minis anodized properly so our first shipment will be delayed several weeks.

I was glad to learn that multiple IPT veteran Larry Master will be joining us at Bosque in late November. The BIRDS AS ART Gallery is nearing completion.

Your Favorite?

Please leave a comment and let us know which of today’s featured images is your favorite and why you liked it the best. Folks have been very lazy recently as far as making the blog interactive …

Galapagos 2020?

If you are interested in learning about a possible Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime, September 29-October 13 on the boat (travel dates: 27 SEPT to Guayaquil and fly home on 14 OCT) please get in touch via e-mail. I will need at least eight deposits by December 1, 2019. Details will be announced here soon.

SONY Rig for Sale

Great Buy!

I am offering a slightly used SONY a7r iii Mirrorless Digital camera body — the very one that made all of the great images in the last few blog posts as well as those presented here today — and, a brand-new-in-the-unopened-box SONY 100-400 for the very low price of $4396.00. The camera is in excellent plus condition. But for some tiny nicks and scratches on the base of the camera, it is in pristine shape; it has less than 12,000 actuations. The sale includes the original box and everything that came in it. And as it says above, the 100-400 is brand-new in the box. I bought the lens in case I did not get my 100-400 back from Precision Camera Repair in time for the IPT. I was able to have UPS hold it at the station in Lake Wales and I picked it up last Thursday on the way over to St. Pete. Your purchase includes insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Others are invited to e-mail for shipping surcharge info. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact me via e-mail or leave a message on my cell phone at 863-221-2372 (Eastern time zone).

You’ve seen the images … Both items are selling new right now for $2498.00 for a total of $4996.00. You can save a handsome $600 by grabbing the pair now. All that you will need to complete your SONY kit is a Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter and one or two Delkin UHS-II 128GB SD Memory Cards. Even with the fastest and most dependable cards on the planet, it is wise to have a back-up card available … artie

IPT Updates

• The Return to Bosque Reduced Rate Scouting IPT. NOV 26-28, 2019 — 3 FULL DAYS: $1199.00. Limit: 8/Openings: 5. Extra Day Options: Join me for one to three extra In-the-Field Days at the end of the IPT as follows: FRI 29 NOV, SAT 30 NOV, and SUN 1 DEC for only $300.00/day.
• The 2020 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) WED JAN 8, 2020 thru and including the morning session on SUN JAN 12: 4 1/2 days: $2099.(Limit: 8/Openings: 5)

BIRDS AS ART

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

FlexShooter Pro News

All FlexShooter Pro BigFeet are now in stock in the BAA Online Store. You can click on the chart above or here for more information.

Coming Soon

The FlexShooter Mini

Several months ago I had a FlexShooter Mini to test on both the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT and the Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. It is a smaller, lighter (one pound!) version of the amazing FlexShooter Pro. I used it often with both the Nikon 500 PF and the SONY 100-400 GM with great success and in a pinch, I was able to make sharper images with the Nikon 600 and the TC-E14. All with the Mini mounted on the lighter Induro GIT 204. I suggested to developer/manufacturer Csaba Karai that the Mini needed a bit more spring tension. As there was a problem getting the balls for the new Minis anodized properly, delivery will be delayed several weeks. 🙁 When we do receive our first shipment, the Minis will have my suggested changes.

The FlexShooter Mini with the lighter Induro GIT 204 is dead-solid-perfect for those whose intermediate telephoto or telephoto zoom is their workhorse lens for bird and nature photography. It will sell for $579 plus shipping. Folks who wish to be assured of getting one from our first shipment can order theirs by phone by calling Jim at 863-692-0906 asap. Your card will not be charged until your Mini is shipped. We already have five orders to ship from our first shipment.

FlexShooter Pro Update

We currently have only two FlexShooter Pro heads in stock here. All BigFeet are in stock in the BAA Online Store here. Click here to access the pretty-much-complete FlexShooter Pro story with videos.

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is getting folks the hot new SONY stuff: the 200-600, the 600 f/4 GM, and the 7R iv. And the wait-list is short for the Nikon 500 P.

Gear Questions and Advice

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

This image was created on August 3, on the 2019 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT. While hand holding and pointing the lens straight down, I used the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (at 238mm) with the high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 1000. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:46am on a drizzly morning. Flexible Spot (S) Continuous/tracking AF was active at the moment of exposure. The AF point was placed on the upper left rule of thirds spot. Click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper version. Image #1: What is it? Sante Fe, Galapagos

The Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens Close Focusing Capabilities!

The close focusing capability (.98 meters (3′ 2.4″) of the Sony 100-400mm GM allowed me to stand at full height and shoot straight down at the subject. Without a ladder, it would not have been possible to make this image with the Nikon 80-400 VR as the minimum focusing distance is 1.75 meters (5.74 feet) …

What is It?

Please leave a comment.

Aperture Question

Why was 1/1000 sec at f/5.6 a serious error? What should I have done assuming that I stayed at ISO 1000?

This image was created by multiple IPT veteran Luis Alberto Grunauer on the 2019 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT. He used the handheld Canon 100-400mm and the 1DX Mark II. Image #2: Galapagos Sea Lion barking at Induro GIT 204L and FlexShooter Mini, Sante Fe,Galapagos Photo courtesy of and copyright 2019: Luis Alberto Grunauer/Silvia’s Jovial Photography

The Induro GIT 204/FlexShooter Mini Combo

Whenever I was not handholding on this IPT, I used the Induro GIT 204 paired with the FlexShooter Mini. This combo is smaller, lighter (by almost one full pound), and easier to travel with than the Induro GIT 304L/FlexShooter Pro that I use with my big lenses.

It served me quite well in low light and as mentioned here previously, the 204/Mini combo is perfect for all intermediate telephoto primes and zooms like the 70-200s, the 80- and 100-400s, the Canon 400 DO II, the Nikon 500 PF, and the like. Our first order of Minis has been delayed due to a problem with the anodization process. To ensure getting one from our first shipment it is best to place a phone order by calling Jim in the office at 863-692-0906; we will not charge your credit card until your head is shipped.

Pinnipeds

Pinnipeds, commonly known as seals, are a widely distributed and diverse clan of carnivorous, fin-footed, semi-aquatic marine mammals. They comprise the families Odobenidae (whose only living member is the walrus), Otariidae (the eared seals: sea lions and fur seals), and Phocidae (the earless seals, or true seals). There are 33 extant species of pinnipeds, and more than 50 extinct species have been described from fossils. While seals were historically thought to have descended from two ancestral lines, molecular evidence supports them as a monophyletic lineage (descended from one ancestral line). Pinnipeds belong to the order Carnivora and their closest living relatives are believed to be bears and the superfamily of musteloids (weasels, raccoons, skunks, and red pandas), having diverged about 50 million years ago.

The above was adapted from the Wikipedia article here.

This image was created at James Bay, Puerto Egas, Santiago, Galapagos on August 5 on the 2019 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT. I used the Induro GIT 204/FlexShooter Pro Mini-mounted Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (at 294mm) with the high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 800. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 9:49am on a sunny morning with he subject in a shaded grotto. Flexible Spot (S) Continuous/tracking AF was active at the moment of exposure. The AF point was placed on the eye of the resting fur seal. Click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper version. Image #3: Galapagos Fur Seal yawning

Galapagos Fur Seal

Both the Galapagos Fur Seal and the far more widespread Galapagos Sea Lion are eared seals of the same family: Otariidae. which means “eared seal”. The Galapagos Fur Seal belongs to a genus of fur seals called Arctocephalus (or Arctophoca), meaning bear-headed. The Galapagos Sea Lion belongs to the genus Zalophus and is closely related to the California Sea Lion. Galapagos Fur Seals are smaller across the board than the Galapagos Sea Lions. On my trips, we see and photograph the fur seals at James Bay, Puerto Egas, Santiago. Galapagos Sea Lions are widespread and are commonly seen everywhere within the Archipelago, whereas fur seals are most likely to be seen by tourists around Isabela and Fernandina islands. The male fur seals are more vagrant than the females and can regularly be seen on Santiago and Bartholome islands, as well as on the southern parts of Floreana.

You can learn more about telling the two species apart in the article from the Galapagos Conservation Trust website here.

This image was created at Rabida, Galapagos on August 5 on the 2019 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT. I used the Induro GIT 204/FlexShooter Pro Mini-mounted Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (at 300mm) with the high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 800. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/640 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 4:18pm on a cloudy afternoon. Flexible Spot (S) Continuous/tracking AF was active at the moment of exposure. The AF point was placed on the sea lion’s eye. Click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper version. Image #4: Galapagos Sea Lion with red sand background

The Red Sands of Rabida

Rábida is one of the Galápagos Islands. Five km², the island has also been known as Jervis Island named in honor of the 18th-century British admiral John Jervis. In Ecuador it is officially known as Isla Rábida. There is lots of wildlife on Rabida including Galapagos Flamingo and White-cheeked Pintail. Rabida is well known for the color of its deep red sands and earth. The color is the result of the high content of iron in the volcanic material found on the island. The sea lion in the image above was resting in the shade of a tiny cave; the lighting enhanced the color of the rear wall of the sea lion’s tiny shelter.

This image was created at Gardner Bay, Espanola (Hood Island), Galapagos on August 5 on the 2019 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT. I used the handheld Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (at 358mm) with the high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 3200. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/250 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 6:27am on a cloudy very dark morning. Flexible Spot (S) Continuous/tracking AF was active at the moment of exposure. The AF point was placed on the pup’s eye. Click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper version. Image #5: Galapagos Sea Lion pup on white sand beach

The Knee-Pod Technique

As we all know, hand holding an intermediate telephoto lens is far more fun than lugging around a big lens on a tripod. When doing so, we are much more mobile and thus can get ourselves into position quickly. And of course, getting low is a great way to make your images more intimate and to soften the background as well. So that I can work at lower ISOs and slower shutter speeds, I will often use the knee-pod technique; I sit with my left leg bent at the knee and rest the back of my left forearm on my knee and/or the distal part of my left thigh.

I just love tooling around with bare feet on the pristine white sands of Gardner Bay photographing the plentiful sea lions playing and fighting and nursing and resting. It is one of the highlights of my Galapagos trips.

Bosque del Apache 2019 IPT Notice the incredible variety of images that you can learn to make by developing your skills and your creative vision on a BAA IPT.

Return to Bosque Reduced Rate Scouting IPT #1. NOV 26-28, 2019 — 3 FULL DAYS: $1199.00. Limit: 8/Openings: 6. Introductory Meet and greet at 7pm on MON 25 NOV.

Extra Day Options: Join me for one to three In-the-Field Days as follows: FRI 29 NOV, SAT 30 NOV, and SUN 1 DEC for only $300.00/day.

I quit going to Bosque several years ago as conditions had worsened each year for several seasons running. My understanding is that things have improved dramatically in recent years. Photography-wise, I know Bosque better than anyone. Join me to learn how wind and sky conditions influence bird photography, how to create dramatic sunrise and sunset silhouettes, how to be in the right place at the right time, and how to create contest-winning blurs. As usual, you will learn to get the right exposure every time, to use your camera’s AF system to create pleasing, balanced image designs, and to improve your flight photography skills.

We should get to photograph many thousands of Snow Geese, more than a few blast-offs, some Ross’s Geese, and lots of Sandhill Cranes in the water, taking flight and flying. Depending on local conditions we may get to shoot some ducks: point-blank American Wigeon and Wood Duck. With any luck, we might enjoy sunrises and sunsets that leave you in tears. Live, eat, and breathe photography with one of (if not the) world’s premier photographic educators at one of his very favorite locations on the planet. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. Join me to learn to think like a pro and to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather. Every time we make a move, I will let you know why. When you get home, applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable.

Lunch is included.

To Register

To register, send your non-refundable $500 deposit — check made out to BIRDS AS ART — via US Mail to PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Or call Jim weekdays at 863-692-0906 to put your non-refundable deposit on a credit card. Balances must be paid in full by check no later than two months before the IPT. If you cancel, all but your deposit will be refunded only if the IPT sells out.

Travel Insurance

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

If In Doubt …

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

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

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

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

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

Facebook

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

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).

What’s Up?

The Sandbar really rocked late on Saturday afternoon. We had lots of great bathing and flight photography, mostly with Sandwich and Royal Terns along with a flock of about 500 Red Knots and a tame American Avocet, only the second one I have ever seen at Fort DeSoto. Photographing on the sandbar is like being at a wild remote location rife with tame birds; it is hard to believe that you are only 20 minutes from downtown St. Pete. The group is both fabulous and appreciative and there is a ton of learning going on. The food at the Neptune Grill in our home base at Gulfport has been great as usual,.

Galapagos 2020?

If you are interested in learning about a possible Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime, September 29-October 13 on the boat (travel dates: 27 SEPT to Guayaquil and fly home on 14 OCT) please get in touch via e-mail. I will need at least eight deposits by December 1, 2019.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. Most recently the price of used Canon 600mm f/L IS II lenses have been dropping like a rock with the introduction of the 600 III. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

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

New Listings

Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Lens

Jim McCormac is offering a Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM lens in excellent condition for only $7,199.00. There are a very few very minor scuffs and paint nicks, mostly on the tripod foot. The lens has been protected by a LensCoat for much of its life. The sale includes the lens trunk, the hood, both original feet, the LensCoat, the front lens cover, the rear lens cap, 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. This lens is optically perfect and performs incredibly with the Canon 1.4x teleconverters (for a reach of 1120mm on full-frame lenses). Please contact Jim via e-mail or by phone at 1-614-517-0258 (Eastern time zone).

I owned and used the super-sharp 800mm f/5.6, often with a 1.4X TC, as my go-to super-telephoto lens for almost five years. If you work with birds that are tough to approach and have trouble making sharp images with the 2X III TC, this lens should have your name on it. The 800/5.6 is great from the car or from a blind. I was astounded when I counted to learn that 15 of the 67 images in my San Diego exhibit were created with my 800. Note that the 800 and a 7D Mark II get you out to 1280mm. Add the 1.4X III TC and you wind up at 1792mm, almost 36X! The 800s — still in production — sell new right now for $12,999 from B&H. Thus, you can save a nifty $5800 by grabbing Jim’s lens right now. artie

Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM Lens

Jim McCormac is offering a Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens in excellent condition for only $6,599.00. There are only a very few minor scuffs and paint nicks, mostly on the tripod foot. The lens has been protected by a camo LensCoat for most of its life. The sale includes the lens trunk, the hood, both feet, the LensCoat, the front lens cover, the rear lens cap, 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. This lens is optically perfect and performs incredibly well with the Canon 1.4x teleconverter (for a reach of 700mm on full-frame lenses). Please contact Jim via e-mail or by phone at 1-614-517-0258 (Eastern time zone).

The 500 f/4 super-telephoto lenses have long been the world’s most popular for birds, nature, wildlife, and sports for many decades. Canon’s Series II version is light, fast, super-sharp, and produces amazing images with both the 1.4X and 2X III TCs. The 500 II is relatively small, easily hand-holdable for some folks, and is much easier to travel with, focuses closer than, and costs a lot less than the 600 II. Lastly, and you might find this amazing, the magnification for the 500 II is the same as it is for the 600 II: .15X. How is that possible? Magnification is calculated at the minimum focusing distance of the lens — 12.14 feet (3.7 meters) for the 500 II and 14.77 feet (4.5 meters) for the 600 II. Simply put, the 500 II focuses more than two feet closer than the 600 II. The seller for the last one that sold here had five calls the first day; the first four folks quibbled on price. The fifth one jumped right on it … Please do not tarry if you are seriously interested in Jim’s lens as it too should sell almost instantly. As the 500 II goes for $8999 new you will be getting a great lens while saving $2400.00. I loved my 500 II 🙂 artie

Price Drops!

Sigma Contemporary 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG Lens for Canon

Price Reduced $50.00 on 9-24-2019

Sheldon Goldstein, multiple IPT participant, is offering a Sigma Contemporary 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG Lens for Canon in like-new condition for $675.00 (was $725.00). The sale includes a Wimberley P-30 plate, the lens cap, the rear cap, the protective case, carrying straps for the lens and case, the Sigma USB Dock UD-2 for firmware updates, and insured Fed-Ex Ground shipping to lower 48 US addresses. Your lens will ship after your check clears unless another payment method is used.

Please contact Shelly via e-mail or by phone at 1-646-423-0392 (Eastern time).

I have seen many sharp and wonderful images created with this versatile lens on several IPTs. artie

Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 DG HSM Lens for Canon

Price Reduced $51.00 on 9-24-2019

Sheldon Goldstein, multiple IPT participant, is offering a Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 DG HSM lens for Canon in like-new condition for $799.00 (was $850.00). The sale includes the lens cover, the rear cap, the protective carrying case, and insured Fed-Ex Ground shipping to lower 48 US addresses. Your lens will ship after your check clears unless another payment method is used.

Please contact Shelly via e-mail or by phone at 1-646-423-0392 (Eastern time).

This lens is designed for use with full-frame Canon digital cameras; it offers a dramatically ultra-wide coverage with field-of-views ranging from 122° to 84.1° making it ideal for dramatic landscape photography. It is a superb architectural lens that is great for creating images of the tightest of interiors. Using Canon bodies with APS-C sensors (like the 7D Mark II) will give you an effective zoom range of 17-35mm. B&H

IPT Updates

• The Return to Bosque Reduced Rate Scouting IPT. NOV 26-28, 2019 — 3 FULL DAYS: $1199.00. Limit: 8/Openings: 6. Extra Day Options: Join me for one to three extra In-the-Field Days at the end of the IPT as follows: FRI 29 NOV, SAT 30 NOV, and SUN 1 DEC for only $300.00/day.
• The 2020 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) WED JAN 8, 2020 thru and including the morning session on SUN JAN 12: 4 1/2 days: $2099.(Limit: 8/Openings: 5)

BIRDS AS ART

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

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is getting folks the hot new SONY stuff: the 200-600, the 600 f/4 GM, and the 7R iv. And the wait-list is short for the Nikon 500 P.

Gear Questions and Advice

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

This image was created at Santa Fe on August 3 on the 2019 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (AT 400MM) with the high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 800. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. AWB at 7:57:35am on a cloudy morning. Center Zone C (Continuos/tracking) AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper version. Brown Pelican diving

SONY a7r iii for Fllight Photography?

With science-fiction-like AF, 15 or so frames per second, and no mirror blackout, the SONY a9 is the acknowledged king of flight photography (at least in the SONY line-up). But the images files are relatively small and having to switch camera bodies when you run into a bit of good flight photography can be anything from a pain in the butt to impossible. With the a7r iii being my workhorse camera body in the Galapagos, there were times when I went to Center Zone and made some really good flight images. Be sure to enlarge each of today’s featured images to see a larger, inexplicably sharper version.

This image was created at Santa Fe on August 3 on the 2019 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (AT 400MM) with the high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 800. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. AWB at 7:57:35am on a cloudy morning. Center Zone C (Continuos/tracking) AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper version. Brown Pelican hitting the water

a7r iii File Size and Crop-ability …

A compressed RAW a7r iii image files comes in at about 41 MB. Thus, a sharp ARW file can stand up to a healthy crop. About 33% of the original pixels were cropped away in the two Brown Pelican images above. Note: you can save a lot of room on your computer by capturing compressed RAWs; folks shooting the night skies should be capturing uncompressed RAWs.

The speed of initial focusing accuracy and AF tracking accuracy with the a7r iii are not quite as good as with the a9, but the iii is a more than capable flight photography camera body.

This image was created on a panga (zodiac) ride at Punta Moreno, Isabela on July 28 on the 2019 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (AT 400MM) with the high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 800. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. AWB at 11:08am on a cloudy-bright morning. Center Zone C (Continuos/tracking) AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper version. Brown Noddy in flight

Flight Subjects

While pelicans are large birds, and relatively slow fliers (except when they are diving!), the a7r iii did just fine with them in flight. Brown Noddies, on the other hand, are swift fliers that often dart and turn in the air. And photographing birds in flight from a rocking zodiac (panga) is always a challenge. As in all flight photography situations, it is necessary to study the wind and the birds’ flight patterns and figure out the best way to maximize your chances. With the noddies, the best opportunities occurred when they turned back into the wind to look down for some available baitfish.

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects, including and especially the Pacific race of California Brown Pelican. With annual visits spanning more than four decades, I have lots of photographic experience there … Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

The 2020 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) WED JAN 8, 2020 thru and including the morning session on SUN JAN 12: 4 1/2 days: $2099.(Limit: 8/Openings: 7)

Introductory Meet and Greet at 7:00pm on the evening before the IPT begins; WED JAN 7, 2020.

Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (nesting with eggs and possibly chicks) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Duck; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heermann’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others are possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seals (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lions; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the IPT cards, there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Not to mention a ton of excellent flight photography opportunities and instruction.

Please note: where permitted and on occasion, ducks and gulls may be attracted (or relocated) with offerings of grains or healthy bread.

Learning Exposure, Whether You Like It Or Not

Whether you like it or not, we will be beating the subject of exposure like a dead horse. In every new situation, you will hear my thoughts on the exposure situation along with my thoughts on both Nikon and Canon histograms and the subject of blinkies. Whether you like it or not, you will learn to work in manual mode and to get the right exposure every time as long as a bird gives you ten seconds with the light constant. And you will learn what to do when the light is changing constantly. What you learn about exposure will be one of the great takeaways on every IPT.

Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT, there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

It Ain’t Just Pelicans

With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there is usually some excellent flight photography as well. And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You will be guided as to how to make the best of all of those opportunities. And depending on the weather and local conditions and tides, there are a variety of fabulous photo chances available in and around San Diego.

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. And so that we can get some sleep, dinners will be on your own.

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, 3385, 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 10/11//2018. 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.

Travel Insurance

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

Getting Up Early and Staying Out Late

On all BIRDS AS ART IPTS including and especially the San Diego IPT, we get into the field early to take advantage of unique and often spectacular lighting conditions and we stay out late to maximize the chances of killer light and glorious sunset silhouette situations. We often arrive at the cliffs a full hour before anyone else shows up to check out the landscape and seascape opportunities.

If In Doubt …

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

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

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

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

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

Facebook

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

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).

What’s Up?

I made a ton of progress on the new BAA Gallery on Wednesday and sent a hard drive with all the images on it to the developer. I am hoping to go live in a week or two at most.

Tomorrow I head over to Gulfport for the 2019 Fall Sandbar Secrets Fort DeSoto IPT. UK IPT veteran Shonagh Adelman is coming in a day early for an afternoon and a morning of scouting and learning and photography. We meet the group on Friday afternoon. Shelly Lake took advantage of the last minute discount and is joining the group.

I’ve been walking and swimming every day and spending two hours each morning learning to make sharp images with the new SONY 600 GM … I am making good progress.

Galapagos 2020?

If you might be interested in learning about a possible Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime, September 29-October 13 on the boat (travel dates: 27 SEPT to Guayaquil and fly home on 14 OCT) please get in touch via e-mail. I will need at least eight deposits by December 1, 2019.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. Most recently the price of used Canon 600mm f/L IS II lenses have been dropping like a rock with the introduction of the 600 III. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

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

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II professional digital camera body

BAA Record-low Price

Blog regular Bill Hill is offering a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II professional digital camera body in excellent condition for the incredibly low, BAA record-low price of $3299.00. There is some minor wear around the shutter button, otherwise mint. Approx. 16000 cycles. The sale includes the front cap, the original LP-E19 battery, the charger, the strap, a 64GB Sandisk Cfast Extreme card, the cFast reader, the owner’s manual, the original box, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Bill via e-mail or by phone at 1-(831) 601-4066 Pacific time zone.

The EOS-1DX is Canon’s flagship professional camera body. I made many fine images with mine. It is rugged and fast and features Canon’s best AF system. artie

IPT Updates

• The Return to Bosque Reduced Rate Scouting IPT. NOV 26-28, 2019 — 3 FULL DAYS: $1199.00. Limit: 8/Openings: 6. Extra Day Options: Join me for one to three extra In-the-Field Days at the end of the IPT as follows: FRI 29 NOV, SAT 30 NOV, and SUN 1 DEC for only $300.00/day.
• The 2020 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) WED JAN 8, 2020 thru and including the morning session on SUN JAN 12: 4 1/2 days: $2099.(Limit: 8/Openings: 5)

BIRDS AS ART

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

FlexShooter Pro News

All FlexShooter Pro BigFeet are now in stock in the BAA Online Store. You can click on the chart above or here for more information.

Coming Soon

The FlexShooter Mini

Several months ago I had a FlexShooter Mini to test on both the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT and the Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. It is a smaller, lighter (one pound!) version of the amazing FlexShooter Pro. I used it often with both the Nikon 500 PF and the SONY 100-400 GM with great success and in a pinch, I was able to make sharper images with the Nikon 600 and the TC-E14. All with the Mini mounted on the lighter Induro GIT 204. I suggested to developer/manufacturer Csaba Karai that the Mini needed a bit more spring tension. A new batch with my suggested changes should be in stock in about two weeks.

The FlexShooter Mini with the lighter Induro GIT 204 is dead-solid-perfect for those whose intermediate telephoto or telephoto zoom is their workhorse lens for bird and nature photography. It will sell for $579 plus shipping. Folks who wish to be assured of getting one from our first shipment can order theirs by phone by calling Jim at 863-692-0906 asap. Your card will not be charged until your Mini is shipped. We already have five orders to ship from our first shipment.

FlexShooter Pro Update

We currently have only four FlexShooter Pro heads in stock here. We have all but one of the BigFeet in stock (phone orders only for now: 863-692-0906) but are sold out of the new FLN-60 BigFoot that was recently re-designed for the Nikon 600 VR. Click here to access the pretty much complete FlexShooter Pro story with videos.

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is getting folks the hot new SONY stuff: the 200-600, the 600 f/4 GM, and the 7R iv. And the wait-list is short for the Nikon 500 P.

Gear Questions and Advice

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

This image was created on August 5 on the Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter (at 560mm) and the high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 800. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/640 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. AWB at 3:24pm on a cloudy afternoon. Flexible Spot (S: small) C (Continuos/tracking) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was placed on the subject’s eye. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. White-cheeked Pintail drake

Patience is a Virtue

But you need to know what you are waiting for …

When folks first learn that I am a bird photographer, their reaction is often, You must have a lot of patience. Not.

When my late-wife Elaine was alive, we often shopped together for groceries at Waldbaum’s in Howard Beach, NY. If the checkout line was long and it seemed that the checkout lady might not be the brightest bulb in the chandelier, she would look at me and say, “You, to the car.” (What can I say? She was right, but I am a different person today.)

IAC, when it comes to beautiful birds I do have patience. I sat in the mud along the shore at the lagoon on Rabida, in the company of about five White-cheeked Pintails — four hens and a drake. Most of the group was sitting with me. Though the birds cooperated I did not get anything special. Soon everyone left for the lure of subjects along the beach. I sat and I sat. It drizzled lightly off and on. And then I sat some more. Finally, the drake swam over to me and preened. But he was angled away from me. I knew that I needed to wait for a nice head-turn toward me. Finally, the bird cooperated. I sat in that mud for two hours and kept just this one image …

SONY a7r iii

The SONY a7r iii Mirrorless Digital camera was my workhorse body on the last Galapagos IPT. I used it to create about 90% of the images that I made on the trip. As with today’s featured image, I used it often with the 100-400 GM OSS and the 1.4X teleconverter. No worries — I am a conservative shooter: the shutter count on my a7r iii is only 11434. It was and is reliable and the image quality is just fine. What I like best is that with Flexible Spot (S) it is fast and easy to move the AF point around with the joystick and get it right on the subject’s eye. Not to mention that virtually the entire frame is covered by the AF point array.

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects, including and especially the Pacific race of California Brown Pelican. With annual visits spanning more than four decades, I have lots of photographic experience there … Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

The 2020 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) WED JAN 8, 2020 thru and including the morning session on SUN JAN 12: 4 1/2 days: $2099.(Limit: 8/Openings: 7)

Introductory Meet and Greet at 7:00pm on the evening before the IPT begins; WED JAN 7, 2020.

Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (nesting with eggs and possibly chicks) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Duck; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heermann’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others are possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seals (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lions; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the IPT cards, there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Not to mention a ton of excellent flight photography opportunities and instruction.

Please note: where permitted and on occasion, ducks and gulls may be attracted (or relocated) with offerings of grains or healthy bread.

Learning Exposure, Whether You Like It Or Not

Whether you like it or not, we will be beating the subject of exposure like a dead horse. In every new situation, you will hear my thoughts on the exposure situation along with my thoughts on both Nikon and Canon histograms and the subject of blinkies. Whether you like it or not, you will learn to work in manual mode and to get the right exposure every time as long as a bird gives you ten seconds with the light constant. And you will learn what to do when the light is changing constantly. What you learn about exposure will be one of the great takeaways on every IPT.

Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT, there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

It Ain’t Just Pelicans

With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there is usually some excellent flight photography as well. And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You will be guided as to how to make the best of all of those opportunities. And depending on the weather and local conditions and tides, there are a variety of fabulous photo chances available in and around San Diego.

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. And so that we can get some sleep, dinners will be on your own.

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, 3385, 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 10/11//2018. 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.

Travel Insurance

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

Getting Up Early and Staying Out Late

On all BIRDS AS ART IPTS including and especially the San Diego IPT, we get into the field early to take advantage of unique and often spectacular lighting conditions and we stay out late to maximize the chances of killer light and glorious sunset silhouette situations. We often arrive at the cliffs a full hour before anyone else shows up to check out the landscape and seascape opportunities.

If In Doubt …

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

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

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

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

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

Facebook

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

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).

What’s Up

I spent the last two mornings photographing down by the lake with my brand new SONY 600mm f/4GM OSS lens and a SONY a7R iv., most often with the 1.4X teleconverter. For a variety of reasons that I shall expound upon in more detail in future blog posts, I am moth-balling my Nikon stuff for the next few months to give SONY a fair chance. When the trial period is over I shall decide whether I will stick with SONY or go back to Nikon … Either way, there will be some great buys on quality used gear.

Hate e-mails and correspondences detailing your displeasure with the development above should be sent to idontgivearatsass.net. Be sure to cut and paste the address onto the “To:” line.

This weekend, I got a lot more done on the new galleries. And the pool is now down about five degrees! Fall is coming.

Your Favorite?

All are invited to leave a comment and let us know which of today’s three featured images you like best. And why.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. Most recently the price of used Canon 600mm f/L IS II lenses have been dropping like a rock with the introduction of the 600 III. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

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

Canon Macro EF 180mm f/3.5L USM Macro Lens
My Favorite Canon frog lens!

BAA Record-low Price

Long-time friend Alan Levine — Alan and Sara knew Elaine! — are offering a Canon Macro EF 180mm f/3.5L USM Macro lens in like-new condition for the BAA record-low price of $799.00. The sale includes the front and rear lens cap, the tripod collar, the original box, the tough fabric carrying case, the lens hood (ET-78), and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower 48 US addresses only. Photos are available upon request. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Alan via e-mail.

The Canon 180 Macro was my mainstay macro lens for more than a decade. I love the extra reach that it provides over the various 100mm macro lenses. And, assuming that you will be working on a tripod, the Canon EF Extender 1.4X is perfectly compatible. The lens is great for flowers, bugs, butterflies, frogs, toads, and snakes among lots more. The lens, that is still in production, sells new for $1,399.00. You can save a smooth $600 on Alan’s practically like-new lens. artie

With the tripod-mounted Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens. Image #1: Southern Toad

Southern Toad

I found this toad in my driveway and created a set-up with a weathered grey log set atop my Sequoia. It was remarkably docile. After a short photo session, I released it in the woods just west of my driveway.

The Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens was my favorite macro lens because of its reach, the fact that it came with a tripod collar, and because it accepted the 1.4X teleconverters. I do not know of any other 1:1 macro lenses that allow you to add a teleconverter. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

With the tripod-mounted Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens. Tulipa Reknown, flower center, Keukenhof Gardens, Lisse, Holland

“Ruined” flowers …

When we arrived at the gardens, most folks in the group were dismayed to find that many of the tulips were in less than pristine condition; most had one or two petals drooped over. Co-leader Denise Ippolito and I realized instantly that the “ruined” flowers would provide a window into each bloom’s most beautiful feature: the tulip center. Then we went to work. The 180 macro on a tripod was the perfect tool for the job.

With the tripod-mounted Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens. Corn Snake

Rescued and Released

A participant on a Southwest Florida IPT many years ago arrived with a cardboard box. She had stopped her neighbor just as he was about to kill the beautiful young snake with a shovel. We posed it in small, dead tree in the shade with the wall of what was then a Holiday Inn (near Little Estero Lagoon) as background. As the snake was quite comfortable, everyone in the group took turns sharing the 180mm macro lens. Most everyone was shooting Canon back then.

The snake was released into a woodlot near the participant’s home that evening.

Focus on Frogs by Andrew McLachlan

Focus on Frogs. Text & Photography by Andrew McLachlan: $50.00 via electronic download

To order your copy, click here.

As you can clearly see while checking out Andrew’s amazing frog and toad images in this blog post, you will realize that his work might well appear with the credit line reading Andrew McLachlan/FROGS AS ART. That Andrew has worked long and very hard at his craft is quite evident. That Andrew has mastered the use of the gear needed for macro photography is quite evident. That Andrew has perfected the use of electronic flash for both daytime and night-time frog photography is quite evident. That Andrew is creative and has a great eye for image design and color is quite evident. That Andrew has an understanding of how important backgrounds are in nature photography is quite evident. And that Andrew has developed all the skills needed to create outstanding images of frogs and toads – both captive and in their natural habitats, is also quite evident. In short, Andrew is the Frog Whisperer.

Focus on Frogs is a comprehensive guide to photographing frogs and toads. In the wild; in the tropics; in home-made terrariums; and at set-ups. Andrew covers it all: camera systems, bodies, and lenses (of all focal lengths!), the use of polarizers and graduated ND filters, how to dress for frog photography, the essentials accessories that will save you time and money, the use of flash, keeping you and your gear safe, in-the-field tips and techniques, finding the best perspective, Photoshop tips and techniques, frog conservation concerns, all aspects of froggy habitats, getting the right exposure, frog biology and behavior, creating attractive set-ups, over-under frog photography, and artistic renderings. The book ends with a spectacular Webfoot Gallery to inspire you.

The Art of Flower Photography

Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris are proud to announce the publication of The Art of Flower Photography, a 203 page eBook with more than 140 images: $29.00. A link to the PDF will be sent via e-mail. Get yourself a copy today so that you can learn and be inspired by the tour de force of flower photography how-to books. Purchase by clicking here, by calling BIRDS AS ART at 863-692-0906, or by sending a Paypal to us via e-mail.

Notice for i-Pad Users

It is easy to save and access any and all PDF files including The Art of Flower Photography and The Art of Bird Photography II on an i-Pad. Here is a link to a short easily-followed how-to tutorial: i-Pad PDF Tutorial.

BIRDS AS ART

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

If In Doubt …

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

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

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

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

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

Facebook

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

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).

What’s Up?

I’m waiting for Chip to send me my final tax return for approval, working on the new galleries, and setting up the SONY a7r iv that I borrowed from B&H … Still doing my fitness routines every day. The pool has cooled down about 3 degrees as fall is arriving slowly down here. I am glad for that.

IPT News!

I learned two weeks ago that Mary van Deusen and her friend Patti Romano will be driving down from South Carolina to join UK Puffins and Gannets veteran Shonagh Adelman on the 2019 Fall Sandbar Secrets Fort DeSoto IPT at the end of this month. Then things got even better when DeSoto IPT veteran Jim Miller e-mailed letting me know that he would also be joining us. Everyone is excited. There are still two spots left on this great workshop, but you’ll need to act quickly. Please e-mail for late-registration discount info.

IPT Updates

• The 2019 Fall Sandbar Secrets Fort DeSoto IPT/September 27-30, 2019: One-half and three FULL DAYS: $1499.00. Free Morning Session on Tuesday, October 1. Limit 6/Openings 2. Afternoon session on Friday, September 25 at 4pm, followed by three full days. We photograph till sunset on Monday, September 30
• The Return to Bosque Reduced Rate Scouting IPT. NOV 26-28, 2019 — 3 FULL DAYS: $1199.00. Limit: 8/Openings: 6. Extra Day Options: Join me for one to three extra In-the-Field Days at the end of the IPT as follows: FRI 29 NOV, SAT 30 NOV, and SUN 1 DEC for only $300.00/day.
• The 2020 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) WED JAN 8, 2020 thru and including the morning session on SUN JAN 12: 4 1/2 days: $2099.(Limit: 8/Openings: 5)

FlexShooter Pro News

All FlexShooter Pro BigFeet are now in stock in the BAA Online Store. You can click on the chart above or here for more information.

Coming Soon

The FlexShooter Mini

Several months ago I had a FlexShooter Mini to test on both the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT and the Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. It is a smaller, lighter (one pound!) version of the amazing FlexShooter Pro. I used it often with both the Nikon 500 PF and the SONY 100-400 GM with great success and in a pinch, I was able to make sharper images with the Nikon 600 and the TC-E14. All with the Mini mounted on the lighter Induro GIT 204. I suggested to developer/manufacturer Csaba Karai that the Mini needed a bit more spring tension. A new batch with my suggested changes should be in stock in about two weeks.

The FlexShooter Mini with the lighter Induro GIT 204 is dead-solid-perfect for those whose intermediate telephoto or telephoto zoom is their workhorse lens for bird and nature photography. It will sell for $579 plus shipping. Folks who wish to be assured of getting one from our first shipment can order theirs by phone by calling Jim at 863-692-0906 asap. Your card will not be charged until your Mini is shipped. We already have five orders to ship from our first shipment.

FlexShooter Pro Update

We currently have only four FlexShooter Pro heads in stock here. We have all but one of the BigFeet in stock (phone orders only for now: 863-692-0906) but are sold out of the new FLN-60 BigFoot that was recently re-designed for the Nikon 600 VR. Click here to access the pretty much complete FlexShooter Pro story with videos.

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is getting folks the hot new SONY stuff: the 200-600, the 600 f/4 GM, and the 7R iv. And the wait-list is short for the Nikon 500 P.

Gear Questions and Advice

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

This image was created on the morning of September 13, 2019 down by the lake near my home at ILE. I used the handheld Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and my souped-up Nikon D850 ISO: 1600. Matrix metering plus about 1 1/3 stop: 1/1250 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. Natural light AUTO WB at 8:06am on an overcast morning. d-25 AF all the way to the left and two above center d-25 Continous AF was active at the moment of exposure as originally framed. The selected point was placed on the eagle’s upper back. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +1. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #1: Bald Eagle perched by old Osprey nest Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Mornings at the lake …

When I first head down to the pier each morning, I check to see if there are any good photo ops and if there are, I will partake for a bit. Then I take my bird/health walk, usually about 2 1/2 miles or so. When I am done, I go “birding” in the car along a specified route, about 10-15 minutes in all. When I get home, I check off what I have seen on a Florida Bird List Excel checklist. Just for the heck of it. I am usually done between 9:30 and 10:30. So at times, especially on cloudy days, I may run into a decent photography situation.

The adult Bald Eagle picture above — often accompanied by its mate, has been sitting by the large old Osprey nest off and on for about two years. I am hoping that they finally get their act together and nest this winter …

The Nikon 500 PF

The Nikon 500 PF is the best flight lens I have ever had the pleasure to own and use. Taking a walk with it and my gripped D850 is a pleasure when compared to lugging around a tripod-mounted 600. The lens with the hood on, the mounting foot removed, and the gripped D850 (with a Delkin 120GB Premium XQD Memory Card inserted), weighs in at exactly 6 pounds, 3.5 ounces. For me, it is easy to hand hold. And adding the TC-E14 gives me 700mm of full-frame reach. Though I had my 600 VR on the UK trip, I used the 500 PF 99% of the time, often mounted on the lightweight Induro GIT 204/FlexShooter Mini Combo. Light, fast, and deadly.

This image was also created on the morning of September 13, 2019 down by the lake near my home at ILE. Again, I used the handheld Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and my souped-up Nikon D850 ISO: 800. Matrix metering plus about 1 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. Natural light AUTO WB at 8:03am on an overcast morning. Two above center d-25 Continous AF was active at the moment of exposure as originally framed. The selected point was placed on the lores. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +1. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #2: Red-shouldered Hawk perched in pine tree

Red-shouldered Hawk

I see Red-shouldered Hawk on about half of my forays down to the lake. Though they are regular breeders at Indian Lake Estates, I have never found a nest. They are easily identified by their loud screams. Unfortunately, they love sitting on power lines and when they do, you can often walk right up to them.

AF Question

In both of today’s featured images, the AF point was slightly in front of the plane of the bird’s eye, yet the eye in both is in razor-sharp focus. Why?

This is an unsharpened 100% crop of Red-shouldered Hawk perched in pine tree

500 PF/TC-E14 Sharpness

As you can see in the unsharpened 100% crop above, the 500 PF/TC-E14 combo is exceedingly sharp, even when hand held.

Indian Lake Estates is just one of the great, little-known photography hotspots covered in the BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide. While ILE is at its very best in late winter and early spring, it is pretty darned good right now for turkey and Osprey and the Sandhill Cranes are always easy here regardless of the season. Not to mention the occasional Bald Eagle and Red-shouldered Hawk 🙂

Your Fave?

Which of today’s two featured images do you like best? Please let us know when you leave a comment.

Your Call?

You are invited to leave a comment letting us know what you like or dislike about today’s featured image.

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

The BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide

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

Purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store.

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

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

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

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

BIRDS AS ART

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

If In Doubt …

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

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

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

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

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

Facebook

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

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).

Stuff

I vegged out all day on Sunday — on the floor with my feet up watching the Smithsonian channel on TIVO in the morning and then NFL Sunday Ticket for the rest of the day. At least I ate well.

IPT News

I learned last week that Mary van Deusen and her friend Patti Romano will be driving down from South Carolina to join UK Puffins and Gannets veteran Shonagh Adelman on the 2019 Fall Sandbar Secrets Fort DeSoto IPT at the end of this month. Then things got even better when DeSoto IPT veteran Jim Miller e-mailed letting me know that he would also be joining us. Everyone is excited. There are still two spots left on this great workshop.

IPT Updates

• The 2019 Fall Sandbar Secrets Fort DeSoto IPT/September 27-30, 2019: One-half and three FULL DAYS: $1499.00. Free Morning Session on Tuesday, October 1. Limit 6/Openings 2. Afternoon session on Friday, September 25 at 4pm, followed by three full days. We photograph till sunset on Monday, September 30
• The Return to Bosque Reduced Rate Scouting IPT. NOV 26-28, 2019 — 3 FULL DAYS: $1199.00. Limit: 8/Openings: 6. Extra Day Options: Join me for one to three extra In-the-Field Days at the end of the IPT as follows: FRI 29 NOV, SAT 30 NOV, and SUN 1 DEC for only $300.00/day.
• The 2020 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) WED JAN 8, 2020 thru and including the morning session on SUN JAN 12: 4 1/2 days: $2099.(Limit: 8/Openings: 5)

FlexShooter Pro News

All FlexShooter Pro BigFeet are now in stock in the BAA Online Store. You can click on the chart above or here for more information.

Coming Soon

The FlexShooter Mini

Several months ago I had a FlexShooter Mini to test on both the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT and the Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. It is a smaller, lighter (one pound!) version of the amazing FlexShooter Pro. I used it often with both the Nikon 500 PF and the SONY 100-400 GM with great success and in a pinch, I was able to make sharper images with the Nikon 600 and the TC-E14. All with the Mini mounted on the lighter Induro GIT 204. I suggested to developer/manufacturer Csaba Karai that the Mini needed a bit more spring tension. A new batch with my suggested changes should be in stock in about two weeks.

The FlexShooter Mini with the lighter Induro GIT 204 is dead-solid-perfect for those whose intermediate telephoto or telephoto zoom is their workhorse lens for bird and nature photography. It will sell for $579 plus shipping. Folks who wish to be assured of getting one from our first shipment can order theirs by phone by calling Jim at 863-692-0906 asap. Your card will not be charged until your Mini is shipped.

FlexShooter Pro Update

We currently have only four FlexShooter Pro heads in stock here. We have all but one of the BigFeet in stock (phone orders only for now: 863-692-0906) but are sold out of the new FLN-60 BigFoot that was recently re-designed for the Nikon 600 VR. Click here to access the pretty much complete FlexShooter Pro story with videos.

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is getting folks the hot new SONY stuff: the 200-600, the 600 f/4 GM, and the 7R iv. And the wait-list is short for the Nikon 500 P.

Gear Questions and Advice

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

This image was created by Dan Cadieux with the hand held Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the greatest ever value in a digital DSLR, the Canon EOS 7D Mark II.. 6ISO 1600: 1/500 sec. at f/5.6. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version Short-billed Dowitcher in fresh juvenal plumage. Image copyright and courtesy of Daniel Cadieux

A Wow!

Sometimes when you see an image, you fall in love instantly. For me, this one was definitely a wow!

The Single Blade of Grass

If this were your image, would you have removed the single blade of grass? Why or why not?

Add Green Whenever Possible

Even before the publication of the original The Art of Bird Photography, I’ve been advising bird photographers to add green whenever possible. And I continue to do so to this day. Bird Photographer’s.Net super-moderator Dan Cadieux applied that principle to the max in today’s featured image. Sweet, smooth, and luscious were the first word that came to mind when I saw this image in Dan’s BPN post here.

If you compare the version posted here with Dan’s original post in the Avian Gallery, you might be able to note that I did a tiny bit of clean-up. If you can spot the difference, do leave a comment.

Dan Cadieux: Canon EOS 7D Mark II Master

Dan has long been the master of the Canon 7D bodies, first with the original 7D, and then with 7D Mark II. Many folks do not like even ISO 800 with this body; as you can see above, Dan has no problem at all with ISO 1600. To see more of Dan’s ISO 800 and higher images with the 7D II, see these Dan’s ISO 800 and Higher Canon EOS 7D Mark II Gallery–Part I here, and Part II here. To see even more of Dan’s images, type “Cadieux” in the little white search box on the top right of each blog post page and hit the search icon. In short order, you will find links to about 8 blog posts. One of those details how Dan processes his 7D II images.

Image Critiques

I’ve long said and firmly believe that there is no better way to grow as a photographer than to have your images evaluated by others and to then return the favor by critiquing their images. And there is no better place to do that than on BPN. Our motto: honest critiques done gently. The $40 for an annual membership gives you the very best bang for your bird photography dollar. I hope to see you there. If you join, send me a link to all of your posted images via e-mail and I will be glad to post a comment.

BIRDS AS ART

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

Fort DeSoto in fall is rife with tame birds. All of the images in this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or very early October. I hope that you can join me there this September. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

The 2019 Fall Sandbar Secrets Fort DeSoto IPT/September 27-30, 2019: One-half and three FULL DAYS: $1499.00. Limit 6/Openings 2.

Afternoon session on Friday September 25 at 4pm. That followed by three full days. We photograph till sunset on Monday, September 30

Added: a Free Morning Session on Tuesday October 1

Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, and gulls that winter on the T-shaped peninsula. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and Roseate Spoonbill. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy. 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 along with some American Oystercatchers. We may very well get to see and photograph the amazing heron/egret hybrid that has been present for four years. We should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed, 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 the IPT you will learn:

• 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure.
• 2- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
• 3- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 4- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
• 5- To age and identify many species of shorebirds including sandpipers, plovers, dowitchers, and possibly yellowlegs.
• 6- To spot the good situations and to choose the best perspective.
• 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
• 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography.
• 10- How and when to access the magical sandbar safely.
• 11- More than you could ever imagine.

Morning sessions will run at least three to 3 1/2 hours, afternoon sessions 2 1/2 to 3 hours. There is never a set schedule on an IPT — we adapt to the conditions. 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). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with the hotel information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).

Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:30am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving …

Payment in full is due now. Credit cards are OK for your $500 deposit. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. If you leave a deposit you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check. If you wish to pay in full right off the bat, you can make your 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, and clothing and gear advice in mid-August. Please remember that we will meet early on Saturday morning. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together are urged to e-mail for discount information.

If In Doubt …

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

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

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

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

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

Facebook

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

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).

What’s Up?

What a good feeling to have finished getting together all the bricks needed to complete my 2018 tax return; we sent the finished worksheets and all the payroll and interest printouts to my accountant in St. Pete. He should be done in about a week to ten days.

I was glad to learn of the recent sale of Don Carter’s Canon 100-400 II and to learn that the sale of George Golumbeski’s Canon 600 II became pending immediately after it was listed.

IPT News!

I learned last week that Mary van Deusen and her friend Patti Romano will be driving down from South Carolina to join UK Puffins and Gannets veteran Shonagh Adelman on the 2019 Fall Sandbar Secrets Fort DeSoto IPT at the end of this month. Then things got even better when DeSoto IPT veteran Jim Miller e-mailed letting me know that he would also be joining us. Everyone is excited. There are still two spots left on this great workshop.

IPT Updates

• The 2019 Fall Sandbar Secrets Fort DeSoto IPT/September 27-30, 2019: One-half and three FULL DAYS: $1499.00. Free Morning Session on Tuesday, October 1. Limit 6/Openings 2. Afternoon session on Friday, September 25 at 4pm, followed by three full days. We photograph till sunset on Monday, September 30
• The Return to Bosque Reduced Rate Scouting IPT. NOV 26-28, 2019 — 3 FULL DAYS: $1199.00. Limit: 8/Openings: 6. Extra Day Options: Join me for one to three extra In-the-Field Days at the end of the IPT as follows: FRI 29 NOV, SAT 30 NOV, and SUN 1 DEC for only $300.00/day.
• The 2020 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) WED JAN 8, 2020 thru and including the morning session on SUN JAN 12: 4 1/2 days: $2099.(Limit: 8/Openings: 5)

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is getting folks the hot new SONY stuff: the 200-600, the 600 f/4 GM, and the 7R iv. And the wait-list is short for the Nikon 500 P.

Gear Questions and Advice

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

This image was created on the morning of September 6, 2019, at Indian Lake Estates. I used the handheld Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and my souped-up Nikon D850 Auto ISO: 800. Matrix metering plus about 1/3 stop: 1/2500 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode was perfect. Natural AUTO1 at 7:41am on a dead-clear morning. Two up from the center d-25 Continous AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the pink wattle. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +4. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Wild Turkey — tight vertical portrait of a young tom Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

500 PF Young Tom Magic

I have been seeing lots of young Wild Turkeys on my morning walks in recent weeks. Most spend time foraging in the North Field that abuts the shore of Lake Walk-in-Water. I only rarely try to photograph them. But last week there was a large group there and the wind was from the northeast. I figure that if I approached them from the north that I might have a chance for a flight shot or two so I grabbed the 500 PF and left the 600 VR on the front passenger seat. As I approached the feeding flock they would move south and then north and then back again. Many species of birds were chowing down on last week’s huge mayfly hatch.

As I continued my approach, I noted that the flock was staying tight together and that they were relatively tame — at times I was too close to create horizontal portraits. After making a few of those, I thought that I might have a chance to create a nice vertical head and shoulders portrait of one of the two young males. On my first few attempts, I clipped the bottoms of the beards. The challenge was to get closer to the birds to avoid that so I continued slowly zigging and zagging left and right and forward. Today’s featured image was my favorite. Note the perfect head turn, about 2-3 degrees toward us.

This image is un-cropped and totally unexpurgated. I did the RAW conversion in Capture One, brought the TIFF into Photoshop, named and saved the master file, and then created the 1200 pixel wide JPEG for today’s blog post. I cannot remember the last time that I did absolutely nothing to an image in Photoshop …

When I began approaching the flock I never thought that I would get close enough to create a vertical front-end portrait …

AF Tip

Pretty much all modern dSLRs and mirrorless camera bodies allow you to set one AF point and mode for horizontals, and a different AF point and mode for verticals. This is a fabulous feature that everyone should know how to set and use. For my vertical shooting, I select a small array of AF points and place it well above center. As long as you have the horizontal/vertical orientation menu item enabled, the camera will remember it.

If I am shooting horizontals, I usually am using a center AF point or small array or one above center. I will often move the point or array that I have set to attain my desired composition. When I need to shoot verticals, all that I have to do is turn the camera on end. The camera will remember the AF point and mode that I have set and in most cases, I am ready to go to work instantly without having to make major changes in the AF point and mode. Depending on how close I am to the subject and the size of the bird in the frame I might move the selected AF point a notch or two up or down or right or left. With Nikon, I like d-25 as the wider spread allows me some compositional freedom in moving the bird left or right (or even up or down a bit) in the frame. To learn to set this menu item see our available Camera Users eGuide here. I am still working on the Nikon D850 Users Guide.

Indian Lake Estates is just one of the great, little-known photography hotspots covered in the BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide. While ILE is at its very best in late winter and early spring, it is pretty darned good right now for turkey and Osprey and the Sandhill Cranes are always easy here regardless of the season.

Your Call?

You are invited to leave a comment letting us know what you like or dislike about today’s featured image.

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

The BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide

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

Purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store.

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

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

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

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

BIRDS AS ART

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

If In Doubt …

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

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

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

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

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

Facebook

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

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).

What’s Up?

On my 2.3 mile Sunday morning walk, I had 33 species of birds including all four dove species and eight wading bird species along with a Pileated Woodpecker and several Eastern Bluebirds. Last week I saw my first-ever ILE Black Tern that was possibly — heck — probably, Dorian-related. I am doing lots of walking and swimming and stretching and getting (just a bit) fitter. With Jennifer’s help, I should be able to finish up my 2019 tax return stuff on Tuesday.

See below if you would like to pre-order a FlexShooter Pro Mini; we have sold three already.

Congrats both to Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev on their amazing performance in the finals of the US Open tennis tournament last night. Whew!

IPT News!

I learned last week that Mary van Deusen and her friend Patti Romano will be driving down from South Carolina (they survived Dorian …) to join UK Puffins and Gannets veteran Shonagh Adelman on the 2019 Fall Sandbar Secrets Fort DeSoto IPT at the end of this month. Then things got even better when DeSoto IPT veteran Jim Miller e-mailed letting me know that he would also be joining us. Everyone is excited. There are still two spots left on this great workshop. Do check out the Extra Day options that were recently added to the Bosque IPT.

IPT Updates

• The 2019 Fall Sandbar Secrets Fort DeSoto IPT/September 27-30, 2019: One-half and three FULL DAYS: $1499.00. Free Morning Session on Tuesday, October 1. Limit 6/Openings 2. Afternoon session on Friday, September 25 at 4pm, followed by three full days. We photograph till sunset on Monday, September 30
• The Return to Bosque Reduced Rate Scouting IPT. NOV 26-28, 2019 — 3 FULL DAYS: $1199.00. Limit: 8/Openings: 6. Extra Day Options: Join me for one to three extra In-the-Field Days at the end of the IPT as follows: FRI 29 NOV, SAT 30 NOV, and SUN 1 DEC for only $300.00/day.
• The 2020 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) WED JAN 8, 2020 thru and including the morning session on SUN JAN 12: 4 1/2 days: $2099.(Limit: 8/Openings: 5)

Click here for complete. IPT info. Couples, IPT veterans, and folks wishing to sign up with a friend or with a partner are asked to contact me via e-mail

FlexShooter Pro News

All FlexShooter Pro BigFeet are now in stock in the BAA Online Store. You can click on the chart above or here for more information.

Coming Soon

The FlexShooter Mini

Several months ago I had a FlexShooter Mini to test on both the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT and the Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. It is a smaller, lighter (one pound!) version of the amazing FlexShooter Pro. I used it often with both the Nikon 500 PF and the SONY 100-400 GM with great success and in a pinch, I was able to make sharper images with the Nikon 600 and the TC-E14. All with the Mini mounted on the lighter Induro GIT 204. I suggested to developer/manufacturer Csaba Karai that the Mini needed a bit more spring tension. A new batch with my suggested changes should be in stock in about two weeks.

The FlexShooter Mini with the lighter Induro GIT 204 is dead-solid-perfect for those whose intermediate telephoto or telephoto zoom is their workhorse lens for bird and nature photography. It will sell for $579 plus shipping. Folks who wish to be assured of getting one from our first shipment can order theirs by phone by calling Jim at 863-692-0906 asap. Your card will not be charged until your Mini is shipped.

FlexShooter Pro Update

We currently have only four FlexShooter Pro heads in stock here. We have all but one of the BigFeet in stock (phone orders only for now: 863-692-0906) but are sold out of the new FLN-60 BigFoot that was recently re-designed for the Nikon 600 VR. Click here to access the pretty much complete FlexShooter Pro story with videos.

IPT Updates

• The 2019 Fall Sandbar Secrets Fort DeSoto IPT/September 27-30, 2019: One-half and three FULL DAYS: $1499.00. Free Morning Session on Tuesday, October 1. Limit 6/Openings 2. Afternoon session on Friday, September 25 at 4pm, followed by three full days. We photograph till sunset on Monday, September 30
• The Return to Bosque Reduced Rate Scouting IPT. NOV 26-28, 2019 — 3 FULL DAYS: $1199.00. Limit: 8/Openings: 6. Extra Day Options: Join me for one to three extra In-the-Field Days at the end of the IPT as follows: FRI 29 NOV, SAT 30 NOV, and SUN 1 DEC for only $300.00/day.
• The 2020 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) WED JAN 8, 2020 thru and including the morning session on SUN JAN 12: 4 1/2 days: $2099.(Limit: 8/Openings: 5)

Click here for complete. IPT info. Couples, IPT veterans, and folks wishing to sign up with a friend or with a partner are asked to contact me via e-mail

BIRDS AS ART

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

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is getting folks the hot new SONY stuff: the 200-600, the 600 f/4 GM, and the 7R iv. And the wait-list is short for the Nikon 500 P.

Gear Questions and Advice

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

This image was created on the morning of July 25, 2019 on the Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. I used the handheld Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 lens at 35mm with the Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless digital camera body. ISO: 500. Multi metering with Zebras: 1/640 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. AWB at 10.39am on a solidly overcast morning. Image #1: Flightless Cormorant nests on lava rock Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Setting the Scene

Back in the days when I wrote prolifically for the various birding magazines, I would send a tightly edited submission with a dozen or so clean tight portraits of the birds mentioned in the articles. Editors would always ask, “Do you have an establishing shot?” I replied, “What’s an establishing shot?” They would explain that they needed a photograph to set the scene, to show the habitat, and to give the reader an understanding of the situation. That’s why I always made sure to have a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens in my vest. When I switched to Nikon, that became the (far sharper) Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. And there is a very good chance that there will be a Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 lens in my future. And yes, there are lots of implications there …

Though I rarely write for magazine publication anymore, I continue to strive to create good establishing shots as they can help tell the story and explain the situation both here on the blog and in slide programs. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. The image above does a great job of setting the scene detailed in the Flightless Cormorant Nest with Eggs blog post here.

Many times I will use an intermediate telephoto zoom lens at the widest setting to create a bird-scape to show the situation. But on this day, I made the landing with only the Nikon 500 PF. I knew the image that I wanted to create but I did not have the right tool so I asked Anita North if I could borrow her SONY 24-105 and she kindly complied. Thanks again, Anita.

This image was also created on the morning of July 25, 2019 on the Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. I used the handheld Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and my souped-up Nikon D850 ISO: 800. Matrix metering +2 1/3 stops off the light gray sky: 1/400 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode. Natural Light AUTO1 WB at 9:58am on a solidly overcast morning. Center d-25 Continous AF was active at the moment of exposure. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +4. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #2: Flightless Cormorant wing detail Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Flightless Cormorant

From the CornellLab of Ornithology website here:

The Flightless Cormorant is the only cormorant that has lost the ability to fly. Restricted to Fernandina and Isabela islands in the Galapagos archipelago, this species has a small population averaging about 1000 individuals. It is a large, brown cormorant with a relatively large head and small wings with very reduced remiges. The wings are useful, however, for maneuvering during surface-dives in search of fish, octopus, and squid. The population fluctuates widely with marine productivity. This species breeds year-round, sometimes twice in a year. Nests are constructed of seaweed and placed among the rocks above the high tide mark, generally in loose associations of several pairs.

Perspective Question

Why was it vitally important to the success Image #2 that I crouched down?

Your Call?

Which of today’s two featured images do you like best? Each has something different going for it so be sure to let us know why you made your choice.

If In Doubt …

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

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

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

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

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

Facebook

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

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).

What’s Up?

Well, not Dorian, at least not here in central Florida. We are thankful for that. Jim’s home near Canaveral is also fine.

I took my first day off from swimming in almost a month but did the rest of my exercise routine including my walk. I was glad to learn of the sale of multiple IPT veteran Phil Frigon’s Canon 600mm f/4L IS II, of the saLe of Doug Rogers’Canon EOS 7D and his Canon Extender EF 2X II (2X teleconverter) in late-July, and of Don Carter’s Canon 100-400 II, the latter on the first day of listing.

I have begun working on my 2018 taxes again and will continue with that chore today, Thursday, September 5, 2019.

IPT News!

I learned early this week that Mary van Deusen and her friend Patti Romano will be driving down from South Carolina to join UK Puffins and Gannets veteran Shonagh Adelman on the 2019 Fall Sandbar Secrets Fort DeSoto IPT at the end of this month. Then things got even better when DeSoto IPT veteran Jim Miller e-mailed letting me know that he would also be joining us. Everyone is excited. There are still two spots left on this great workshop.

IPT Updates

• The 2019 Fall Sandbar Secrets Fort DeSoto IPT/September 27-30, 2019: One-half and three FULL DAYS: $1499.00. Free Morning Session on Tuesday, October 1. Limit 6/Openings 2. Afternoon session on Friday, September 25 at 4pm, followed by three full days. We photograph till sunset on Monday, September 30
• The Return to Bosque Reduced Rate Scouting IPT. NOV 26-28, 2019 — 3 FULL DAYS: $1199.00. Limit: 8/Openings: 6. Extra Day Options: Join me for one to three extra In-the-Field Days at the end of the IPT as follows: FRI 29 NOV, SAT 30 NOV, and SUN 1 DEC for only $300.00/day.
• The 2020 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) WED JAN 8, 2020 thru and including the morning session on SUN JAN 12: 4 1/2 days: $2099.(Limit: 8/Openings: 5)

Click here for complete. IPT info. Couples, IPT veterans, and folks wishing to sign up with a friend or with a partner are asked to contact me via e-mail

FlexShooter Pro News

All FlexShooter Pro BigFeet are now in the BAA Online Store here. They should all be in stock in a day or two at most.

FlexShooter Pro Update

We currently have FlexShooter Pro heads in stock here. We have all but one of the BigFeet in stock (phone orders only for now: 863-692-0906) but are sold out of the new FLN-60 BigFoot that was recently re-designed for the Nikon 600 VR. Click here to access the pretty much complete FlexShooter Pro story with videos.

BIRDS AS ART

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

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. Most recently the price of used Canon 600mm f/L IS II lenses have been dropping like a rock since the introduction of the 600 III. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

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

Sony FE 400 mm F2.8 GM OSS

Sale Pending first day of listing!

IPT veteran and dear friend Patrick Sparkman is offering an FE 400 mm F2.8 GM OSS Lens in like-new condition for $10,698.00. This immaculate lens is only four months old and has seen little use. The sale includes the lens hood, original product box, the lens trunk, the front lens cover, the rear lens cap, the lens strap, and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Patrick via e-mail.

This super-fast lens is amazingly light at 6.4 lbs, the same weight as the Nikon 300mm f/2.8. Patrick made lots of great images at St. Paul in the Pribilof Islands last July with the lens alone and with either the 1.4x and 2x teleconverters. He really enjoys the 8.86 ft close-focusing capability and the beautiful bokeh that the lens produces. Now that he owns the new SONY 600mm f/4GM OSS lens, he cannot justify owning both. As this lens sells new right now for $11,998.00, you can save a cool $1,300.00 by grabbing his virtually new lens asap. artie

ps: at the time of publication this lens is very hard to get; it is not in stock at B&H or at Bedfords.

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is getting folks the hot new SONY stuff: the 200-600, the 600 f/4 GM, and the 7R iv. And the wait-list is short for the Nikon 500 P.

Gear Questions and Advice

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

This image was in St. Paul, AK by good friend Patrick Sparkman. He used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 2.0x teleconverter and the Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless digital camera body. ISO: 400. Multi-metering. Exposure determined via the Zebra feature: 1/400 sec. at f/5.6. Image #1: Parakeet Auklet head portrait Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Patrick Sparkman. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Head Angle

Parakeet Auklet is one of about a half-dozen Pribilof specialty species. I visited several times in the 1990s with film. With Patrick’s fine image above, note the perfect head angle for a side head portrait with the bird’s head turned two to three degrees toward us. Do understand that the perfect head angle varies with the pose and the orientation of the bird to the back of the camera.

This image also created at St. Paul, AK by Patrick with the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 2.0x teleconverter and the Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless digital camera body. ISO: 500. Multi-metering. Exposure determined via the Zebra feature: 1/800 sec. at f/6.3. Image #2: Red-legged Kittiwake head portrait Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Patrick Sparkman. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Red-legged Kittiwake

Red-legged Kittiwake is a mega-rare bird breeding only in the Pribilofs with the world epicenter of that population breeding on St. Paul and nearby St. George. The less than 9-foot minimum focusing distance is deadly at 800mm. You have AF points available for more than 93% of the frame, and AF is fast and deadly accurate even with the 2X. When I visited the only images of this species were of young birds at a distance …

This image also was in St. Paul, AK by good friend Patrick Sparkman. For this flight image, he used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and the Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless digital camera body.. ISO: 800. Multi-metering. Exposure determined via the Zebra feature: 1/800 sec. at f/2.8. Image #3: Tufted Puffin incoming flight Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Patrick Sparkman. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Tufted Puffin

Tufted is the largest of the world’s three puffin species and for me, the most beautiful by far. For incoming birds in flight at high speed, the SONY a9 is without peer. Period. While I usually use center ZONE for flight, Patrick sticks with WIDE which offers almost full frame-AF.

Your Favorite?

Please leave a comment letting all know which of Patrick’s three images is your favorite. And why.

If In Doubt …

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

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

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

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

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

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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 :).