July 28th, 2023 Thanks!
Thanks to the very many folks who commented on the two images in the last blog post. Most everyone chose the dramatic Black-legged Kittiwake image over the splendid, symmetrical puffin with the green background. If I could only have one of those two, I would opt for the kittiwake image but only by a very slim margin.
Your Call?
Which of today’s three spoonbill images do you like best? Why did you make your choice
What’s Up?
My Grimsey Island, Iceland trip continues to be a dream come true. In addition to puffins, puffins, and more puffins, the food at the Krian Restaurant, is superb. Yesterday, the owner/chef Svafar, took me cod fishing. I caught more than ten including some 8 pounders, in less than 30 minutes! Then he took us on scenic photo tour of the cliffs. He cleaned the fish and I had them for dinner. We saved a bucket of fish guts and had lots of high key fun with the Arctic Terns, Black-legged Kittiwakes, and fulmars in the harbor.
If you would like info on Greg Downing’s 2024 and/or the 2025 Grimsey Island puffin trips, please shoot me an e-mail by clicking here.
Today is Friday 28 July 2023. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.
Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!
You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.
If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
The Fact$ of Life
The market for editorial sales of natural history images has virtually disappeared. The incomes of the world’s top stock photographers are down by at least 90%. Like me, many depend on income from photo trips, the sale of educational materials, and income from this or that affiliate program.
In 2001, BAA sold the publication rights to images for nearly one-quarter million US dollars. That amount dropped to about $20,000 by 2011, and in 2017, to slightly more than $2,000.00. We’ve stopped counting. IPTs used to fill within days. Now I am happy to go with one or two folks, but I’d much rather have you along. And so it goes. In 2009, I turned to creating educational blog posts, now to the tune of 4060! Yes, 4060 educational blog posts. Please, therefore, remember to use either my B&H or Bedfords affiliate links for your major purposes. It will not cost you one cent to do either.
B&H
Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.
B&H Simplified
To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.
Bedfords Simplified
Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will automatically be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your order ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.
Money Saving Reminder
Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard-to-get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a 1, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.
Important Note
As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.
Roseate Spoonbill in Fall at DeSoto
This highly sought-after species is more likely to be encountered in fall at Fort DeSoto Park in Pinellas County Florida than at any other season. They may be found anywhere at North Beach but are most frequently seen at Hidden Lagoon. With a careful approach, they are often quite acclimated to humans. Most bird photographers love pink!
|
|
|
This image, of the same individual as in Image #1, was also created on 22 September 2020 on a Fall Fort DeSoto IPT, 44 seconds after the first image was created. Again, While seated behind my lowered tripod, I used the no-longer available Induro GIT 304L tripod (now replaced by the Robus RC-5558-3 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod)/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the Sony a7R IV (Now replaced by The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 1000. 1/1600 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be perfect. AWB at 8:27:51am on a mostly sunny day.
Tracking: Spot M/AF-C performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #2: Roseate Spoonbill scratching
|
Working a Subject
Many folks are happy to get a single good image of a given species and then move on quickly. When I find a good subject in a good situation, my great preference it to stay with it for an extended period of time, to try different perspectives, to work with a variety of focal lengths, and to strive to capture a variety of behaviors.
Would You?
Would you have replaced the bird’s eye in this image? Why or why not?
The Sony 1200mm Advantage
While I made lots of good images at 1200mm with Canon, the Nikon dsLR TC-20E 2X teleconverter was something of a dog. It was even difficult to make sharp images with the 1.7X TC and the 600mm VR lens. Reviews are mixed on the Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-2x. With Sony, the sharpness of a1 images made with the 600mm f/4 GM, the a-1, and the FE 2X TC is astounding. Stay tuned for some 1200mm puffin head portraits.
|
|
|
All images from SEPT/OCT/NOV at Fort DeSoto.
Click on the image to enjoy a larger, sharper high-resolution version.
Clockwise from upper left to center: Piping Plover flapping after bath, juvenile Laughing Gull with feather, American Oystercatcher with sea urchins, Willet foraging in surf, American White Pelican juvenile swimming, skimmer/tern/shorebird blast-off blur, American White Pelican in flight, Black-bellied Plover stealing lugworm from Marbled Godwit, Roseate Spoonbill staring.
|
The Fall 2023 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tours
Fall 2023 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #1
3 1/2 Days: Tuesday 26 September through the morning session on Friday 29 September 2023. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers.
Fall 2023 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #2
3 1/2 Days: Tuesday 17 October through the morning session on Friday 20 October 2023. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers.
Fall 2023 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #3
3 1/2 Days: Tuesday 14 November through the morning session on Friday 17 November 2023. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers.
Fall Bird Photography at Fort DeSoto
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds, terns, and gulls in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, and night-herons that winter on the T-shaped peninsula. With any luck at all, we should get to photograph one of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher is pretty much guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. And there should be some quality Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed, Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two.
On this IPT, all will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button. Everyone will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. Most importantly, you will surely learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it). The best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever and whenever you photograph.
|
|
|
Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, juvenile Tricolored Heron, Marbled Godwits, Great Blue Heron, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Stork, smiling Sea Scallop, Ruddy Turnstone scavenging needlefish, Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette at my secret spot, and southbound migrant tern flock blur.
|
The Details
There will be a Photoshop/image review session during or after lunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
These IPTs will run with only a single registrant (though that is not guaranteed). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with Gulfport AirBnB/VRBO information. If you register soon and would like to share an AirBnB with me, shoot me an e-mail. Other possibilities including taking a cab to and from the airport to our AirBnB and riding with me for $50/day. This saves you both gas and the cost of a rental car.
A $600 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check one month before the trip. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with six folks, so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand, or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions on lodging.
Up Early, Stay Out Late!
Obviously, folks attending an IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of the sweetest light and sunrise and sunset colors (when possible). The good news is that the days are relatively short in early fall. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving. On cloudy days, we may — at the leader’s discretion, stay out in the morning for a long session and skip the afternoon session. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. And so that we can get some sleep, dinners will sometimes be on your own as well.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
July 26th, 2023 A Real Challenge
Don’t be lazy. Take a moment to leave a comment and let use know which of today’s two spectacular featured images you wish was yours? And do let us know why you made your choice.
What’s Up?
Wednesday morning was Northern Fulmar chicks in the nest. The afternoon was flying and perched puffins. Thursday morning was mostly kittiwakes flying in a fierce wind, with more flying and perched puffins that afternoon. On Wednesday morning, fulmars in flight were superb.
If you would like info on Greg Downing’s 2024 and/or the 2025 Grimsey Island puffin trips, please shoot me an e-mail by clicking here.
Today is Wednesday 26 July 2023. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.
Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!
You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.
If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
The Fact$ of Life
The market for editorial sales of natural history images has virtually disappeared. The incomes of the world’s top stock photographers are down by at least 90%. Like me, many depend on income from photo trips, the sale of educational materials, and income from this or that affiliate program.
In 2001, BAA sold the publication rights to images for nearly one-quarter million US dollars. That amount dropped to about $20,000 by 2011, and in 2017, to slightly more than $2,000.00. We’ve stopped counting. IPTs used to fill within days. Now I am happy to go with one or two folks, but I’d much rather have you along. And so it goes. In 2009, I turned to creating educational blog posts, now to the tune of 4052! Yes, 4052 educational blog posts. Please, therefore, remember to use either my B&H or Bedfords affiliate links for your major purposes. It will not cost you one cent to do either.
B&H
Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.
B&H Simplified
To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.
Bedfords Simplified
Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will automatically be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your order ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.
Money Saving Reminder
Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard-to-get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a 1, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.
Important Note
As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.
|
|
|
This image was created on 25 July 2023 on my Grimsey Island, Iceland visit. Standing at full height at the edge of a cliff on a very windy morning, I used the handheldSony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 280mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras. ISO 1000: 1/3200 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 10:20:01am on a cloudy morning.
Tracking: Zone AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Black-legged Kittiwake returning to nest
|
The Goal is Always the Same: One Great Image per Session
Every time I grab a lens and head into the field, the goal is always the same: I try to create one Family Jewel-type image each session. I’d guess that I succeed about half the time. On Tuesday, I was two for two. I created the kittiwake flight shot in the morning, and the puffin with the cliff background that afternoon.
The kittiwake was quite upset. It flew in and out of its cliff nest repeatedly. It would land and offer to regurgitate partially digested fish to its chick by leaning in close while opening its bill to reveal the red throat that replaces the pecking spot of the larger gulls. The problem was that its chick was dead. Very dead. But the bird, becoming increasingly agitated, refused to give up. Several times it flew screaming back to the nest. By being in the right spot, I had some very good chances.
|
|
|
This image was also created on 25 July 2023 at Grimsey Island, Iceland. Standing at full height on a small rise, I used the Robus RC-5558-3 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod topped by the Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 2500. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2500 sec. at f/4 (wide open). AWB at 6:17:25pm on cloudy evening.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.
Image #2: Atlantic Puffin flying to the nesting cliff with sandeels for chick in burrow
|
Pre-focusing
The key to photographing fast-flying, erratic subjects like Atlantic Puffins is to pre-focus at the approximate distance you expect the bird to be. With dSLR bodies I always recommended that folks pre-focus to a distance well greater than the spot you expected the bird in flight to appear. But with mirrorless bodies, you want to be focused to a distance that approximates the spot where the bird will appear. By doing that, you can pick up the bird in flight and track it right in until it fills half the frame and then begin firing. As the action was fast and furious and I needed the reach of the 600, I turned to the Robus RC-5558-3 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod topped by the Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro. I was quite pleased with ow well I was able to keep the speeding puffins close to the center of the frame.
Typos
As with all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
July 24th, 2023 What’s Up?
It drizzled for most of Sunday. In the afternoon, I sat in stinky, rotting kelp for three hours photographing worn, molting adult Purple Sandpipers and Arctic Terns. The terns were hunting small invertebrates of some sorts, probably
arthropods.
Today is Monday 24 July 2023. It is not raining and I am heading out early.
Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.
If you would like info on the 2024 and/or the 2025 puffin trips, please shoot me an e-mail by clicking here.
Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!
You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.
If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
|
|
|
Greg liked working with tools early on
Image courtesy of and copyright Greg’s Mom
|
Greg Downing at Age Four
Greg got his first tool set when he was four years old. He needed to stand on a bench to get up to the height of the worktable. That his dad Howard was an architect spurred Greg’s interest in home construction.
|
|
|
Greg built his own home during COVID
Image courtesy of and copyright Downing Contracting Company
|
Downing Contracting Company
Custom Home Building, Remodeling, and Renovation
Greg started the Downing Contracting Company (all by himself) in 1985 when he was just 19 years old. As you can see above, he is an incredibly talented builder; I am envious of his skills and knowledge. Can you imagine building an entire home from the ground up by yourself? I have always wished that I could build (or even fix) something with my own hands (heck, I’m Jewish…), and wished that I could sing well or play a musical instrument. And so it goes (Billy Joel).
|
|
|
This image was created by Greg Downing at St. Paul Island, Alaska. While hanging over the edge of a steep cliff, hundreds of feet above the Bering Sea, he used the handheld Canon 300mm f/2.8 IS L lens with the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800: 1/320 sec. at f/11.
Image #1: Tufted Puffin head portrait
Image courtesy of and copyright Greg Downing Photography
|
Greg Downing and Bird Photography
Greg began bird photography in the mid-late 1990s. He purchased his first telephoto lens, “from some unknown dude in Las Vegas, a Canon 400mm f/2.8 non IS with a 2X. TC (horrible vignetting).” His then-girlfriend got him a hard copy of The Art of Bird Photography (by yours truly). He skipped the intro and got right to the meat and potatoes. Some time after that, he finally read the foreword and was moved to tears as he read about the loss of my beloved wife Elaine. Then he e-mailed me, thanked me for the great book, and sent his condolences. I e-mailed him back within minutes and invited him to join me in Cape May for an IPT.
That was one of my first-ever Instructional Photo-Tours, probably in the spring of 1998 or thereabouts. In his own words, “It was you, me, Ned Harris and someone else whom I don’t remember. If I recall, it was $250 for the three-day IPT — the deal of the century!”
Soon thereafter, Greg assisted me on a St. Paul Island/Pribilofs IPT. Transport was via a Boeing 727-100 aircraft flown by Reeve Aleutian Airlines. The landings and take-offs and most everything else were done in very foggy conditions. As I recall, there had been at least one big crash on a landing at St. Paul. One time we landed in the fog and a wheel broke off the plane. I was stranded for days until they flew in replacement parts and a work crew.
Anyhoo, Greg remembers that we took turns holding each other by the ankles as we leaned too far over the edge of a big cliff. The multitudinous seabirds there included Horned and Tufted Puffins, Least, Parakeet, and Crested Auklets, Thick-billed and Common Murres, and Red-faced Cormorant. I heard recently that the Least Auklets have disappeared. Anyhooo, there are many great memories of a foggy place shared with a friend.
|
|
|
This image was created by Greg Downing at Volunteer Point in The Falklands. He used the handheld Canon 24-70mm wide angle zoom lens (at 55mm) with the Canon EOS-1Dx. ISO 800: 1/1000 sec. at f/11.
Image #2: King Penguins/stormy skies
Image courtesy of and copyright Greg Downing Photography
|
Greg’s Amazingly Wonderful Life and Career in Nature Photography
Like me, Greg has been blessed to have traveled the world teaching interested folks to improve their photography. And like me, he has made many lifelong friends along the way.
Here is just a partial list of the great places he has been privileged to visit: Cape May, New Jersey; Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY; Bosque del Apache NWR (when it was good); Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, Nome, AK. Homer, AK; St. Paul, AK; Silver Salmon Creek Lodge, AK; Katmai National Park, AK, San Diego, CA; the Falklands, the Southern Ocean, Ecuador; the Galapagos Archipelago; Columbia, Costa Rica; Iceland; multiple world class photo locations in Africa, the Texas coast for migrant songbirds; the Rio Grande Valley; British Columbia, Canada; India, for tigers: The Himalayas, Ladakh, India, for Snow Leopard; Patagonia; Yellowstone National Park, Montana; the Pantanal, Brazil; Pôrto Jofre, Mato Grosso, Brazil for Jaguar; his own backyard in Maryland, and many more.
|
|
|
This image was created by Greg Downing in Ecuador. He used the tripod-mounted Canon 70-200mm at 145mm with the Canon EOS 5D. ISO 250: 1/200 sec. at f/16 (multiflash set up using 4 flashes at 1/16 power).
Image #3: Violet-tailed Sylph
Image courtesy of and copyright Greg Downing Photography
|
Similarities
Greg’s style of bird photography is flatteringly similar to mine, clean, tight, and graphic. We both strive to create images with non-distracting backgrounds. We both love head shots. We both love soft light on cloudy-bright days. And at one point in our careers, we both did some multi-flash hummingbird work. (See the The Hummingbird Guide – How to Photograph Hummingbirds Using High-Speed Multiple Flash by Linda Robbins with Arthur Morris.)
Greg founded an educational website, NatureScapes.Net, with several friends and is now the sole owner. I founded an educational website, BirdPhotgrapher.Net with several friends, and am now the sole owner. Greg developed the Skimmer and the Skimmer II and has sold several thousands of them. I invented the BLUBB and have sold many hundreds of them.
We both have used and depended on Delkin flash cards for more than two decades. We both began using Canon gear and we both switched to Nikon at some point. Then I graduated to Sony. Greg loves his Nikon Z9.
We both have a burning passion to make great images and to teach others to do the same thing.
|
|
|
This image was created by Greg Downing in Kamploops, British Columbia, Canada. He used the tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Nikkor 500mm/f4E with 1.4X TC-E (at 700mm) with the FTZ-II adapter and the Nikon Z9. ISO 640: 1/1250 sec. at f/7.1.
Image #4: Horned Grebes courting
Image courtesy of and copyright Greg Downing Photography
|
About Greg
Greg has been traveling the world teaching professional and amateur photographers for more than two decades while hosting instructional workshops and seminars. Instructing photographers of all experience levels, Greg has earned a reputation for his gracious and generous teaching style.
Greg’s images are known for their unique style, exacting composition and strict attention to detail. As an internationally recognized photographer, his numerous publishing credits include books, advertising campaigns and editorial publications such as Birding Magazine, Outdoor Photographer Magazine, Birder’s World, National Geographic and many others. Especially passionate about birds, his images can also be found in printed form in several Wildbird Centers on the east coast, as well as appearing in private art exhibitions.
In 2003 Greg founded www.NatureScapes.net with E.J. Peiker and Heather Forcier. Today Greg is the Publisher, President and sole owner of the company and oversees all operations from his home base in Manchester, Maryland.
As Greg travels the world making great images, he enjoys meeting others, teaching, and sharing his passion while making new lifelong friends in the process.
|
|
|
This image was created by Greg Downing at Kamploops, British Columbia, Canada. He used the Canon 500mm f/4 L IS lens with the 1.4X TC (at 700mm) and the Canon EOS-1D X on a flattened tripod. ISO 1600: 1/500 sec. at f/5.6.
Image #5: Common Loon with chick peeking out from under the adult’s wing
Image courtesy of and copyright Greg Downing Photography
|
Loons
Greg has been photographing Common Loons with chicks in BC for 15 or so years. He is the Loon Whisperer. He makes a cooing sound to attract mother loons; they swim right up to his water craft and bring their chicks.
|
|
|
This image was created by Greg Downing in northern Iceland. He used the tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Nikkor 500mm/f4E with the Nikon D850. ISO 1600: 1/1250 sec. at f/5/5.6.
Image #6: Arctic Loon in breeding plumage
Image courtesy of and copyright Greg Downing Photography
|
Arctic Loon
Arctic Loon breeds mainly in Northern Europe and is rarely seen in Iceland. They are incredibly rare in North America and are on every birder’s most wanted list. On one of his first Iceland trips, Greg found this amazingly beautiful bird on a dark rainy afternoon. He returned the next morning in decent weather and made many great images showing the bird’s spectacular purple throat.
|
|
|
This image was created by Greg Downing at Grimsey Island, Iceland. He used the handheld Nikkor 70-200/f2.8 with 1.4X TC (at 270mm) with the Nikon D5. ISO 1000: 1/4000 at f/4.
Image #7: Razorbill in flight, dorsal view
Image courtesy of and copyright Greg Downing Photography
|
Grimsey Island
Greg began running trips to Grimsey Island about six years ago. It is accessible by air or by ferry. Simply put, it is the best photography location on the planet for Atlantic Puffin and Razorbill.
If you would like info on Greg’s 2024 and/or 2025 puffin trips, please shoot me an e-mail by clicking here.
|
|
|
This image was created by Greg Downing at Grimsey Island, Iceland. He used the handheld Nikkor 70-200/f2.8 with 1.4X TC (at 270mm) with the Nikon D5. ISO 1600: 1/4000 at f/4.
Image #8: Atlantic Puffin in flight with sand eels, dorsal view
Image courtesy of and copyright Greg Downing Photography
|
On Friendship
Twenty-five years ago we had a great friendship. Over the years, we had drifted apart. Neither of us is sure of why that happened. Being here together on Grimsey has renewed our friendship and we have had boatloads of fun. It is never too late to get in touch with old friends.
Your Call?
Which two of Greg’s eight fabulous images do you feel are the strongest? Please leave a comment and let us know why you made your choice.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
|
|
