Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

What’s Up?

Our second shipment of twenty FlexShooter Pro heads finally arrived late on Friday. We will be shipping to those who ordered by phone on Tuesday as Monday is a holiday. I will check out the new Nikon 600 VR Bigfoot on Tuesday and let you know what I have learned. We have been enjoying perfect weather every day along with some decent morning photography and my daily swims.

The 2018 B&H/BAA Bird Photography Holiday Contest Finalists!

Thanks to the generosity of the great folks at B&H, I am proud to announce the final four for the first-ever B&H/BAA Bird Photography Holiday Contest below. Please rate the four contest finalist images as noted below. The final placement of the winning and honored images will be announced soon.

Important, to me at least …

I learned yesterday that a guy who has visited and learned from the blog for years had recently purchased the Nikon 800mm VR lens with the dedicated 1.25X teleconverter. This gentleman has never been on an IPT. He often sends me photos for my comment and usually asks a few questions. I have always answered politely and in a timely fashion. When he began sending many images in a single e-mail, I suggested that he take advantage of the image critiquing service that I offer. He never took me up on that.

He told me that he had purchased the lens from B&H so I asked if he had used my affiliate link. The answer was “No.” I let him know that had he used my link as a way to thank me for the blog and the times that I spend answering e-mails like his it would not have cost him one penny more, that it was just a great way to say “Thank you.” I also let him know that my commission on a $16,296.95 sale would have been a tidy $570.39.

If you are purchasing new photo gear from B&H or Bedford’s, I would truly appreciate your writing for advice and using my affiliate links or discount codes. Again, doing so would not cost you one cent.

Huge thanks and gobs of appreciation to those who regularly use the BAA affiliate links and discount codes. With lots of love as well.

Please note: Today’s blog post took about five months and five hours to prepare 🙂

Huge Late-registration BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour Discounts

I an effort to fill a very few remaining slots, I am offering a $3,000 late registration discount on the UK Puffins, Gannets, and Red Kite IPT (one slot) and a $4,000 late registration discount on the Galapagos Photo Cruise of a lifetime (one slot) — the world’s very best Galapagos photo trip. We do the three world-class landings twice each: North Seymour, Hood, and Tower … Join us. Click here and scroll down for the trip details. Please e-mail with questions.

BIRDS AS ART

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

Contest-Related Used Gear Sales

Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Lens
This is NOT Joe Sobelefsky’s lens 🙂

Eric Chen is offering a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for the BAA record-low price of $6998.00. The sale includes everything that came in the orignal box including the lens trunk, the lens strap, the front lens cover, the warranty card, a Realtree Max 4 LensCoat, a RRS replacement foot, the 52mm drop-in polarizer (a $229.00 value), a LensCoat Hoodie, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower 48 US addresses only. Your lens will not ship until your check clears unless another payment method is used.

Please contact Eric via e-mail or by phone at 1-413-210-3636 (Eastern time).

The 600 II has been the state of the art super-telephoto lens for birds, nature, wildlife, and sports for many years. When I was using Canon and could get it to my location, it was always my go-to weapon. It is fast and sharp and deadly alone or with either TC. With a new one going for $9,499, you can save a cool $2501.00 by grabbing Eric’s lens now. The lighter 600 III goes for $12,999.00! artie

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR Lens
This is the very lens used to create the Painted Bunting image below

Chris Tricou is offering a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR lens in excellent condition for $8296.95. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the lens trunk, the original Nikon neoprene tough front lens cover that goes over the hood, a camo LensCoat, a black hoodie (neoprene front cover), the lens strap, the original product box, the low profile Nikon tripod foot, 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 Chris via e-mail or by phone at 225-445-6777 (Central time).

The 500 f/4 super telephoto lenses have been the world’s most popular for birds, nature, wildlife, and sports for many decades. This is Nikon’s latest/greatest version. It is super-sharp with the TC-14E III (the 1.4X teleconverter). This lens is relatively small and can be easily hand held by some folks. It is much easier to travel with, focuses closer than, and costs a lot less than the current Nikon 600 VR. This lens sells for $10,296.95. Grab Chris’s lens asap while $2000.00 for a pretty much new lens with extras. I loved my Canon 500 II. artie

Contest-Related Advertisement

A Guide to Pleasing Blurs

In A Guide to Pleasing Blurs by Denise Ippolito and yours truly, we discuss just about every technique ever used to create pleasingly blurred images. Ninety-nine point nine percent of pleasing blurs are not happy accidents. You can learn pretty much everything that there is to know about creating them in this instructive, well-written, easy to follow, beautifully illustrated e-Guide.

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 taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.

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 BPN member Paul Burdett. He used the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 400mm) with theC Canon crop factor body, the EOS 7D Mark II dSLR. ISO 640: 1/500 sec. at f/5.6. Image #1: New Holland Honeyeater, Tasmania Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Paul Burdett Click on the image to enjoy a larger version

The New Holland Honeyeater Story

This bird was photographed on Bruny Island, Tasmania. The island is separated from the Tasmanian mainland by the D’Entrecasteaux Channel; its east coast abuts the Tasman Sea. The island is noted for various birds that are endemic to Tasmania, some of which are endangered. My wife and I stayed at Inala, an amazing private nature reserve on the island, where I was able to see and photograph the Forty-spotted Pardalote as well as a number of other endemic birds. This New Holland Honeyeater was spotted a few minutes after photographing the Pardalote, and posed quite nicely for me.

You can see what others (including me) thought of this image in Paul’s BPN post here.

My Thoughts and Comments

I fell in love with this bird and this image the moment I saw it on BPN. It reminded me of some sort of breeding plumage Yellow-rumped Warbler hybrid on steroids! Thanks, Paul for entering this one.

This image was created by IPT veteran and BPN member Krishna Prasad Kotti. He used the Induro ballhead-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR lens with the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 dSLR.. ISO 100: 1/5 sec. at f/22. Image #2: Snow Goose blast-off, Bosque del Apache NWR, NM Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Krishna Prasad Kotti Click on the image to enjoy a larger version

The Snow Geese Blast-off at Bosque Story

This image was taken at the main pond in Bosque Del Apache NM during my trip at the end of 2018. It was early evening and I was photographing Snow Geese on the road. After a while, they took off and landed far away in the pond. All the folks who had been photographing the birds on the road left. I stood there contemplating whether I should leave for crane pools or wait to see if the flock would blast off. With a muted sun behind me and overcast conditions, I stood waiting for more than 30 minutes. I composed the image, using the distant mountains as an anchor and waited for the birds to take off. I was just about to give up when the birds blasted off.

I learned a lot on your Gatorland IPT two years ago. I study your blog religiously and have also learned a ton in the Avian Forum; I joined BPN almost 3 years ago.

My Thoughts and Comments

As many of you know, I love blurs, especially ones that are well done. And I love that Krishna incorporated many of the things he has learned on BPN and in various BAA guides as well to come up with this fine image. His story reminds me in part of the story behind Blizzard in Blue — same place, same time of year, and lots of other photographers sitting in their cars because of the cold drizzle … Blizzard in Blue was runner-up in Composition and Form in a late-1990s vintage Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. Who’d a thunk it? Creative blurs before digital!

In A Guide to Pleasing Blurs (and elsewhere), I have written, The slower your shutter speed the less chance you have a creating a successful image but the more chance you have of creating a contest-winning image …

This image was created by IPT veteran (and former BPN member) Joe Sobelefsky. He used the tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens with my favorite Canon body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV dSLR.. ISO 2000: 1/1000 sec. at f/4.5. Processed in DPP4. Image #3: Wood Duck pair courting Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Joe Sobelefsky Click on the image to enjoy a larger version

The Courting Wood Ducks Story

Each winter, during the freeze, I spend time prepping a location in Harford County, Maryland for Wood Ducks. The frozen mud in the marsh makes this the only time that you can move limbs, drop stumps, clean and reposition the nest boxes, perform needed maintenance, and build blinds. The arrival of my favorite waterfowl species is a time of pure bliss for me; I spend every spare moment for about three months in my blind photographing these beautiful ducks. Watching these elusive waterfowl interact, pair up, defend boxes, lay eggs, incubate and finally fledge their ducklings brings me to a place of inner peace that I have not experienced anywhere else on earth. Even though these are wild ducks, I feel as if I know them personally by the time that move on for the year.

My Thoughts and Comments

With Joe’s image, I love the soft light and the intimacy of the image. Note that there was plenty of depth-of-field even at the nearly wide open aperture of f/4.5. Why? The distance to the birds was relatively large.

This image was created by Chris Tricou with the mono-pod mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR lens with the Nikon crop factor body, the D500 dSLR. ISO 320: 1/2000 sec. at f/5. Image #4: Painted Bunting displaying male Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Chris Tricou Click on the image to enjoy a larger version

The Painted Bunting Story

I had been exploring a piece of private property that I had been granted access to near Baton Rouge on the banks of the Mississippi River between the levee and the river itself. It is only accessible when the river is low. As I hiked I was blown away by the amazing diversity of wildlife as well as the density. I heard the calls of Painted and Indigo Buntings. I located a spot where the territories of three male painteds overlapped. I went back the next day and the light was perfect in the late afternoon. I was out of sight down by the waterline. I reached a massive excavator that I was able to hide behind and waited patiently. The birds came. This image shows one male displaying against another. I could not photograph them fighting as they were inside of the lens’s minimum focusing distance.

It was amazing to watch such beautiful birds behave as if I were not there.

My Thoughts and Comments

I love the soft light and have always loved male Painted Buntings. Heck, the ladies are not bad either. IAC, add in the spectacular naturally occurring behavior and your image will pretty much make everyone smile.

Please Rate the Four Contest Finalist Images

First off, apologies for being so tardy with the contest results. At one point I feared that I had lost all of the images and would have to re-run the contest. But once the hard drive from my first and now very defunct MacBook Pro was rescued, it was just a matter of time …

I have already made up my mind as to the contest winners and the distribution of the generous prizes from B&H but I did want to give everyone here a chance to voice their opinions. Please do so by rating the four finalist images with a numbered list from 1 to 4 with one being your contest winner. In addition, your thoughts on why you made your choices are of course welcome.

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. All of the images on this card were created on the 2018 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT

The New, Expanded 2019 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT. Seahouses, Bempton Cliffs, and the Dunbar, Scotland Gannet boat to Bass Rock! Thursday, June 27 (from EDI) through Tuesday, July 9, 2019 (on the ground; fly home on Wednesday, July 10.): $9,999. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 1

Please e-mail to learn about the very large late-registration discount

Join me in the UK in late June and early July 2019 to photograph Atlantic Puffin, Common Murre, Razorbill, Shag, and Northern Gannet, Red Kite, and more both in flight and at close range. We will also have great chances with Arctic and Sandwich Terns, both with chicks of all sizes; Black-headed, Lesser-Black-backed, and Herring Gulls, many of those chasing puffins with fish; Black-legged Kittiwake with chicks; plus Grey Seal. There will be tons of great flight photography. As on all IPTs, if you pay attention, you will learn a ton, especially about sky conditions and the relationship between light angle and wind direction and their effects on flight photography.

Why go all the way to Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine, endure a two-hour boat ride, and have to photograph Atlantic Puffins from a cramped blind usually in bright sun (and well off sun angle) when you can hop a red-eye flight from Newark, NJ and be in Edinburgh, Scotland early the next morning. First we drive down to Bridlington for easy access to Bempton Cliffs where our primary targets will be Northern Gannet in flight. We will also get to photograph Razorbill, Northern Fulmar, Herring Gull, and Black-legged Kittiwake. While in Bridlington we will spend one afternoon visiting a Red Kite feeding station that should provide lots of flight photography action.

While in Bridlington we will staying at the White Horse Inn in Cranswick, about twenty minutes from Bempton Cliffs. After 3 1/2 days of photography there, we drive down to Seahouses in Northumberland to the two lodges that will be our home base for a week. After a short boat ride each day we will have hundreds of puffins posing at close range all day, every day — usually in ideal cloudy-bright conditions. While we are in Seahouses we will do six puffin/seabird trips, all weather permitting of course; last year we did not miss a single landing. In five years we have averaged losing less than one half day per year to bad weather. We land at Staple Island in the mornings and then sail over to Inner Farnes for our afternoon sessions. In addition, we may enjoy a session or two photographing nesting Black-legged Kittiwakes at eye level from a rocky beach in Seahouses.

In Seahouses, we stay 7 nights in gorgeous, modern, upscale lodges with Wi-fi. They are beyond lovely with large living areas and lots of open space for the informal image sharing and Photoshop sessions. The bedrooms are decent-sized. Each lodge has one double bedroom and two twin bedrooms. (See the single supplement info below.) At the lodges we cook our own breakfasts each morning and prepare our own lunches to be brought on the six puffin boat trips. For dinners we will alternate cooking in the lodges with fine dining at several excellent local restaurants. We stay two nights at the Marston’s Inn in Dunbar. We will enjoy a fine-dining Thank You dinner at the Dunbar Hotel on the Tuesday evening before we fly home.

On the morning of Monday, July 8, 2019, the plan is to sleep late, pack, and head up to Dunbar Harbor, Scotland for lunch and an afternoon gannet boat chumming trip: flight photography until you cannot lift your camera. The next morning, Tuesday July 9, we will enjoy our second gannet boat chumming trip (both weather permitting). On both trips we will enjoy great views of the huge gannetry at Bass Rock. Included will be two nights lodging at the Pine Martin by Marston’s Inn in Dunbar. Very early on the morning of Wednesday, July 10, we will drive up to Edinburgh Airport so that everyone can make their flights home. No moaning please. You will need a flight that leaves at 8:30am or later. Not too much later is generally best.

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. All images were created on the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT

The Details

This IPT is all-inclusive except for your airfare and alcoholic beverages. All ground transportation, lodging costs, meals, your National Trust membership, and all boat, entry, and landing fees are included. Weather permitting, we will enjoy three and one-half days (at least six sessions in all) at Bempton Cliffs, an afternoon with the Red Kites, six full days on the puffin boats, one amazing afternoon gannet chumming trip, and one spectacular morning gannet chumming trip.

IPT Details

If you are good to go sharing a room–couples, of course, are more than welcome, heck, we actually need two couples — please send your non-refundable $2,000/person deposit check now to save a spot. Please be sure to check your schedule carefully before committing to the trip and see the travel insurance info below. Your balance will be due on February 28, 2019. Please make your check out to “Arthur Morris” and send it to Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855.

Please shoot me an e-mail if you are good to go or if you have any questions.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for big international trips is highly recommended as we never know what life has in store for us. I strongly recommend that you purchase quality 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.

I truly hope that you can join me on this exciting venture.

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 New 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 :).

The FlexShooter Pro Video

Click on the Play Arrow above to view this 17 1/2 minute instructional video.

Click here for detailed written instructions on setting up and leveling the FlexShooter Pro, the ballhead that acts like a gimbal head only better.

Click here to learn about shooting flight with the FlexShooter Pro.

Click here to purchase.

FlexShooter Pro Update: May 22, 2019

For incomprehensible reasons, our DHL shipment is being delayed despite the fact that I paid the duties and taxes online over the weekend. It is likely that it will be here fairly soon … We are presently hoping for this Thursday …

We’ve now sold eight of the 20 FlexShooter Pro heads that we will be receiving when our next shipment arrives. To ensure getting theirs, folks are encouraged to place their orders asap by phone: 863-692-0906. Your card will not be charged until your head ships.

It is fun to be changing the world of nature photography one head at time …

FlexShooter Pro labeled set-up diagram

In the video, I was a bit unclear as to when I position the bubble on the right (as in Image #1 below), and when I position it to the rear (as in Image #2 below). It takes a bit of wiggling and twisting to reposition the bubble. Here is a tip: start with both the Large Silver Ball Lever (unseen in both images below) and the Silver Bullet Knob loosened.

Side-view of FlexShooter Pro with the 600 VR on the tripod

Image #1: Side-view of FlexShooter Pro with the 600 VR on the tripod

When I will be photographing with the lens on the FlexShooter Pro while standing behind my tripod, I will almost always position the bubble as shown above with the bubble to the right of the lens, the clamp knob on the near-right, and the silver bullet knob on the near-left (the latter unseen in the photo above). This allows me to simply lean to my right for a clear line of sight view when I need to center the bubble on the FlexShooter Pro in the scribed circle.

Image #2: Rear-view of FlexShooter Pro in the car without a lens mounted

A Rear-view of FlexShooter Pro in the car without a lens mounted

When I am working off the tripod in a vehicle, seated behind the tripod in the field, or will be standing in one spot for a good while doing flight photography in a productive spot like Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico, it is easiest to level the FlexShooter Pro without the lens mounted with the bubble at the rear of the head (as seen in the photo above). Note that the clamp knob is positioned on my right with the silver bullet knob to my left. When seated on the ground or in a vehicle it is easiest to center the bubble in the scribed circle with the bubble positioned to the rear as seen in the photo above. If it is on the right (as in image #1), it is pretty impossible to see the bubble as it will be blocked by the lens …

Questions Welcome

All FlexShooter questions are welcome; please leave a comment below and I will get back to you.

Huge Late-registration Instructional Photo-Tour Discounts Made Public

I an effort to fill a very few remaining slots, I am offering a $3,000 late registration discount on the UK Puffins, Gannets, and Red Kite IPT (one slot) and a $4,000 late registration discount on the Galapagos Photo Cruise of a lifetime (one or two slots) — the world’s very best Galapagos photo trip. We do the three world-class landings twice each: North Seymour, Hood, and Tower … Click here and scroll down for the trip details. Please e-mail with questions.

What’s Up?

The weather has finally turned gorgeous here at ILE. Friday morning down by the lake was so-so and after a slow start Saturday offered many excellent chances under clear skies with a developing east wind. With the Nikon 500 PF with a D850 on it, the 500 PF — the subject of today’s blog post — shined and I created a slew of great flight shots of landing Black Vultures and an Osprey landing on nest atop a utility pole. In the last sequence it was carrying a fresh-caught (with the head still on!) bream for its three large, nearly-fledged chicks. Images and story here soon. I enjoyed my 50- and 100-length swims on Friday and Saturday afternoons respectively (88 lengths to the mile).

As the weather looks perfect for this morning, Sunday, May 19, 2019, I will be heading down to the lake at about 7am. I am continuing to experiment with Nikon single point AF vs. D9 AF and Grouop AF. I will of course share what I have learned here on the blog when I am absolutely sure of what I am learning.

Huge Late-registration Instructional Photo-Tour Discounts Made Public

I an effort to fill a very few remaining slots, I am offering a $3,000 late registration discount on the UK Puffins, Gannets, and Red Kite IPT (one slot) and a $4,000 late registration discount on the Galapagos Photo Cruise of a lifetime (one or two slots) — the world’s very best Galapagos photo trip. We do the three world-class landings twice each: North Seymour, Hood, and Tower … Join us. Click here and scroll down for the trip details. Please e-mail with questions.

FlexShooter Pro Updates

We’ve now sold six of the 20 FlexShooter Pro heads that we will be receiving next Monday or Tuesday. Folks are encouraged to place their orders asap by phone: 863-692-0906. Your card will not be charged until your head ships. Once folks have a chance to play with a friend’s FlexShooter Pro or run across me in the field with my 600 VR, I expect sales to boom. Think that I am full of it? Do you remember when everyone used Gitzo tripods? Today, all that you see in the world of nature photography are Induro tripods. Folks always gravitate to gear that is better, well made, more efficient, and less expensive …

I do have one barely used FlexShooter Pro head, the one with the very slightly smaller knob (11/16″ vs 7/8″) for sale. If I had not mentioned the difference in the size of the knobs, nobody would have noticed. In any case, if you would like to save $50, I’d be glad to sell it for $549.00. Phone orders only: 1-863-692-0906 Saturday or Sunday afternoon or any weekday. I will be sharing the info on the BigFoot lens feet here soon. Basically, we have BigFeet for most Canon big glass; the BigFeet for Nikon big glass are being re-designed and manufactured as we speak.

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 taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.

Booking.Com

Many IPT folks have been using the Booking.Com link below to get great rates and save a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.

Airbnb

I enjoyed another great inexpensive AirBNB on the recently concluded 2019 Fort DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT. For the past year, I have been using AirBNB for all of my travel lodging needs. Everyone on the Fort DeSoto Spring IPT stayed at AirBNB properties in Gulfport. Airbnb lists more than 4.5 million homes across 200 countries; you’ll find spacious, affordable options for every occasion. With Airbnb you will travel with confidence as reviews from past guests help you find the right fit. Once you do, their secure messaging makes it easy to coordinate with your host. And Airbnb support teams are available 24/7. And this morning, I made a 17-day reservation for an Airbnb condo for San Diego, 2020. I am staying with Rick again: his place has lots of room, a full kitchen, two bedrooms, and great WiFi. All for a lot less than the price of a chain hotel.

Yikes. I almost forgot the best part: Airbnb rates average less than half of even the least expensive chain hotels and motels. If you would like to save $40 on your first booking sign up by using this link: Airbnb. Airbnb does charge clean-up and service fees that make short stays less attractive bargains than long stays.

Those who prefer to stay in a motel or hotel are invited to use the Booking.com link above to save $25.00.

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 near Santiago, Chile on the way to the Falklands last December. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens with the Nikon D5 with Dual XQD Slots. Matrix metering plus about 1/3 stop as framed: 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6. NATURAL AUTO WB at 9:49am on a cloudy day. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: -1. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Center Group (grp)/Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered right on the bird’s neck. The left-most AF point caught the base of tghe bird’s bill. Inca Tern in flight with fish

If My Life Depended on Making One Great Flight Shot …

If my life depended on making one great flight shot, what hand holdable (for me) lens would I want in my hands? As part of the deal, understand that the birds are fairly large and the distances to the subject are not great.

Today, Sunday May 17, 2019, I have no doubt about my answer. I would opt for the Nikon 500mm PF lens. But I would go with the D850 instead of the D5. Why the 500 PF? Confidence is often difficult to explain. The 500 PF feels great in my hands, Nikon AF is superb, and this lens is light enough to make tracking birds in flight fairly easy for most folks including me. While I have — as you saw in the blog post here — done just fine recently with the tripod-mounted 600 VR on the FlexShooter Pro, I find that hand holding and tracking and framing the images of birds in flight is always at least a tad easier and yields more consistent results when hand holding.

The final reason? For the past year, nearly all of my favorite flight images have been made while hand holding the 500 PF/D850 rig.

Why Not the SONY FE 100-400 OSS with the a9 or the a7R iii?

Right off the bat going with the SONY 100-400 and the a9 with its light weight, incredible AF system, no blackout, and 15 frames per second in AF-C might seem the obvious choice. But I have never been thrilled with a9 image quality. Image quality with the a7R iii is superb but the AF and frame rate are somewhat lacking when compared to the a9. In addition, the 500 PF offers an extra 100mm of reach at f/5.6. Adding the FE 1.4X teleconverter to the SONY zoom gets you out to 560mm but the
cost is steep: one full stop of ISO. And right now I simply lack confidence in the SONY gear. A good deal of that is due to the fact that I have had a lot more field time and practice with the Nikon gear.

What will be in one year? I have no clue.

Patrick Sparkman uses his a7R iii with the SONY FE 400mm f/2.8 OSS lens for more than 95% of his bird photography, most often — about 80% of the time, with the FE 2X teleconverter in place. He uses his a9 mostly as a back-up body and ocassionally in pure flight situations. As I wrote in the My General SONY Conclusions … section of the blog post here:

There is a huge pool of nature and bird photographers who, as Jim Miller has discovered, for whom the SONY stuff above might be their very best option. By miles. Why? It is lightweight — what a pleasure it is to head into the field with just a single, hand holdable rig — and with a bit of instruction, it is easy to learn to use. And 560mm of reach is not chicken liver. Right now it is my firm belief that SONY gear is well up to the task of delivering sharp quality images, all while you are having more fun than ever before. And are creating outstanding images.

If you decide to try or switch to SONY, please e-mail for advice and please remember to use a BAA affilate link.

You?

If your life depended on making one great flight image, what rig would you use? Be sure to note the system, the lens, and the camera body.

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. All of the images on this card were created on the 2018 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT

The New, Expanded 2019 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT. Seahouses, Bempton Cliffs, and the Dunbar, Scotland Gannet boat to Bass Rock! Thursday June 27 (from EDI) through Tuesday, July 9, 2019 (on the ground; fly home on Wednesday July 10.): $9,999. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 1

Please e-mail to learn about the very large late-registration discount

Join me in the UK in late June and early July 2019 to photograph Atlantic Puffin, Common Murre, Razorbill, Shag, and Northern Gannet, Red Kite, and more both in flight and at close range. We will also have great chances with Arctic and Sandwich Terns, both with chicks of all sizes; Black-headed, Lesser-Black-backed, and Herring Gulls, many of those chasing puffins with fish; Black-legged Kittiwake with chicks; plus Grey Seal. There will be tons of great flight photography. As on all IPTs, if you pay attention, you will learn a ton, especially about sky conditions and the relationship between light angle and wind direction and their effects on flight photography.

Why go all the way to Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine, endure a two-hour boat ride, and have to photograph Atlantic Puffins from a cramped blind usually in bright sun (and well off sun angle) when you can hop a red-eye flight from Newark, NJ and be in Edinburgh, Scotland early the next morning. First we drive down to Bridlington for easy access to Bempton Cliffs where our primary targets will be Northern Gannet in flight. We will also get to photograph Razorbill, Northern Fulmar, Herring Gull, and Black-legged Kittiwake. While in Bridlington we will spend one afternoon visiting a Red Kite feeding station that should provide lots of flight photography action.

While in Bridlington we will staying at the White Horse Inn in Cranswick, about twenty minutes from Bempton Cliffs. After 3 1/2 days of photography there, we drive down to Seahouses in Northumberland to the two lodges that will be our home base for a week. After a short boat ride each day we will have hundreds of puffins posing at close range all day, every day — usually in ideal cloudy-bright conditions. While we are in Seahouses we will do six puffin/seabird trips, all weather permitting of course; last year we did not miss a single landing. In five years we have averaged losing less than one half day per year to bad weather. We land at Staple Island in the mornings and then sail over to Inner Farnes for our afternoon sessions. In addition, we may enjoy a session or two photographing nesting Black-legged Kittiwakes at eye level from a rocky beach in Seahouses.

In Seahouses, we stay 7 nights in gorgeous, modern, upscale lodges with Wi-fi. They are beyond lovely with large living areas and lots of open space for the informal image sharing and Photoshop sessions. The bedrooms are decent-sized. Each lodge has one double bedroom and two twin bedrooms. (See the single supplement info below.) At the lodges we cook our own breakfasts each morning and prepare our own lunches to be brought on the six puffin boat trips. For dinners we will alternate cooking in the lodges with fine dining at several excellent local restaurants. We stay two nights at the Marston’s Inn in Dunbar. We will enjoy a fine-dining Thank You dinner at the Dunbar Hotel on the Tuesday evening before we fly home.

On the morning of Monday, July 8, 2019, the plan is to sleep late, pack, and head up to Dunbar Harbor, Scotland for lunch and an afternoon gannet boat chumming trip: flight photography until you cannot lift your camera. The next morning, Tuesday July 9, we will enjoy our second gannet boat chumming trip (both weather permitting). On both trips we will enjoy great views of the huge gannetry at Bass Rock. Included will be two nights lodging at the Pine Martin by Marston’s Inn in Dunbar. Very early on the morning of Wednesday, July 10, we will drive up to Edinburgh Airport so that everyone can make their flights home. No moaning please. You will need a flight that leaves at 8:30am or later. Not too much later is generally best.

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. All images were created on the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT

The Details

This IPT is all-inclusive except for your airfare and alcoholic beverages. All ground transportation, lodging costs, meals, your National Trust membership, and all boat, entry, and landing fees are included. Weather permitting, we will enjoy three and one-half days (at least six sessions in all) at Bempton Cliffs, an afternoon with the Red Kites, six full days on the puffin boats, one amazing afternoon gannet chumming trip, and one spectacular morning gannet chumming trip.

IPT Details

If you are good to go sharing a room–couples of course are more than welcome, heck, we actually need two couples — please send your non-refundable $2,000/person deposit check now to save a spot. Please be sure to check your schedule carefully before committing to the trip and see the travel insurance info below. Your balance will be due on February 28, 2019. Please make your check out to “Arthur Morris” and send it to Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855.

Please shoot me an e-mail if you are good to go or if you have any questions.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for big international trips is highly recommended as we never know what life has in store for us. I strongly recommend that you purchase quality 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.

I truly hope that you can join me on this exciting venture.

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 New 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?

Before my (slow) mile swim yesterday afternoon, I created a 17-minute introductory FlexShooter Pro video on my I-Phone. I should be able to get it posted here on the blog in a day or two … 🙂

We’ve now sold five of the 20 FlexShooter Pro heads that we will be receiving in our next shipment. Folks are encouraged to place their orders now by phone; your card will not be charged until your head ships. Once folks have a chance to play with a friend’s FlexShooter Pro, or run across me in the field with my 600 VR, I expect sales to boom. Think that I am full of it? Do you remember when everyone used Gitzo tripods? Today, all that you see in the world of nature photography are Induro tripods. Folks always gravitate to gear that is better, well made, more efficient, and less expensive …

I do have one barely used FlexShooter Pro head, the one with the very slightly smaller knob (11/16″ vs 7/8″) for sale. If I had not mentioned the difference in the size of the knobs, nobody would have noticed. In any case, if you would like to save $50, I’d be glad to sell it for $549.00. Phone orders only: 1-863-692-0906 Saturday or Sunday afternoon or any weekday. I will be sharing the info on the BigFoot lens feet here soon. Basically, we have BigFeet for most Canon big glass; the BigFeet for Nikon big glass are being re-designed and manufactured.

Important Note

By picking your favorite image and explaining why you made your choice you are improving your own editing and image evaluation skills and making yourself a better photographer. As the blog is designed to be interactive, try it. You just might like it and you just might learn something. 🙂

(Possibly) the Last Gatorland In-the-Field Session of the Season: Saturday, May 18, 2019.

I could do either Friday or Sunday as well …

The photo opps at Gatorland last Saturday were better than I expected and the Cattle Egrets finally showed up so I have decided to run this at least once more.

Join me at Gatorland this coming weekend and learn a ton. As you can see below, the Cattle Egrets in breeding plumage are specatular, and we might even have a shot at some nesting Little Blue Herons. There will still be lots of white chicks of all sizes. There were still one Snowy Egret nest with eggs on my last visit. Learn to shoot in the shade on sunny days! Most folks who visit Gatorland simply have no clue. Join me to learn how to photograph at easily accessible rookeries. An intermediate telephoto lens is all that you will need. I will have two of those and my 600 VR. Learn to think and see like a pro. A loaner FlexShooter Pro will likely be available.

Morning Session — 7-10am: $200.00
Morning Session with a 90-minute working lunch including image review and Photoshop: $300.00.

Call 863-692-0906 to register. I go with one!

Like Puffins?

Scroll down to save a ton of money.

BIRDS AS ART

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

Lessons From the Field/BIRDS AS ART Style is a 1 hour, 15 minute, 314 image, click and play MP4 video

Lessons From the Field/BIRDS AS ART Style: $10.00

Click here to order or see the Save $10 Bundle offer below.

Lessons From the Field/BIRDS AS ART Style is a 1 hour, 15 minute click and play MP4 video. It is available here in the BAA Online Store, by phone order, or by sending a Paypal for $10.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net. As the file is a large one, be sure to upload it when you have a good internet connection.

The video features 314 of artie’s best images, educational and otherwise. Based on his 35 years of in-the-field experience, it covers all the basics along with many fine points. Are you making mistakes that give you no chance to create a great image? Learning to avoid those and learning to think like a pro will make you a better photographer. If you purchase and study the video, it will surely prove to be the best ten dollars you’ve ever spent on photography.

Save Ten Bucks!

Order the Lessons From the Field MP4 video and add a copy of the birds as art: The Avian Photography of Arthur Morris/The Top 100 (via convenient download — normally sells for $20.00) for an additional 10.00.

Order the bundle for $20.00 by clicking here.

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 taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.

Booking.Com

Many IPT folks have been using the Booking.Com link below to get great rates and save a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.

Airbnb

I enjoyed another great inexpensive AirBNB on the recently concluded 2019 Fort DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT. For the past year, I have been using AirBNB for all of my travel lodging needs. Everyone on the Fort DeSoto Spring IPT stayed at AirBNB properties in Gulfport. Airbnb lists more than 4.5 million homes across 200 countries; you’ll find spacious, affordable options for every occasion. With Airbnb you will travel with confidence as reviews from past guests help you find the right fit. Once you do, their secure messaging makes it easy to coordinate with your host. And Airbnb support teams are available 24/7. And this morning, I made a 17-day reservation for an Airbnb condo for San Diego, 2020. I am staying with Rick again: his place has lots of room, a full kitchen, two bedrooms, and great WiFi. All for a lot less than the price of a chain hotel.

Yikes. I almost forgot the best part: Airbnb rates average less than half of even the least expensive chain hotels and motels. If you would like to save $40 on your first booking sign up by using this link: Airbnb. Airbnb does charge clean-up and service fees that make short stays less attractive bargains than long stays.

Those who prefer to stay in a motel or hotel are invited to use the Booking.com link above to save $25.00.

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 last Saturday’s Gatorland In-the-Field session with Terry Tsuchiyama. I used the Induro GIT 304L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens and the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR. ISO 800. Matrix metering at about -1/3 stop: 1/4000 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode was perfect with the histogram pushed all the way to the right. AUTO1 WB at 7:40am on a clear, sunny morning. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +3. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Center Group (grp) Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. As originally framed the array was centered on the bird’s rear flank yet the image is sharp on the eye. That is the wonder of Group for flight … Image #1: Breeding plumage Cattle Egret making a short flight near its nest Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version and better enjoy the sharpness.

Anticipation

The more you learn about bird behavior, the better bird photographer you will become. Do note that bird behavior is often repetitive. As we were setting up, I called out to Terry, “Move to your right; there are two Cattle Egrets flopping around in the bush.” They quit as I finished setting up the 600 VR on the FlexShooter Pro but got in position anyway. I set the exposure at -1/3 on a bird perched in the bush and then the behavior repeated. I made two frames; both were sharp. This is the first of the two.

This image was also created on last Saturday’s Gatorland In-the-Field session with Terry Tsuchiyama. I used the Induro GIT 304L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR. ISO 800. Matrix metering at about +2/3 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode was perfect with the histogram pushed all the way to the right. AUTO1 WB at 8:01am in the shade of a large bush. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: a very significant +9. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. A single AF point (two left of center) using Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The point was squarely on the bird’s eye. I might be onto something there … Image #2: Breeding plumage Cattle Egret head portrait

Group AF in Low Light …

I have a theory. As regular readers know I have been having sharpness problems with my 600VR/TC-E14/D850 set-ups for several months. I think that possibly my reliance on Group AF when using the 1.4X teleconverter might be the cause of my problems. In low light, all of the images made with Group AF were noticeably soft. Once I went to Single Point the images were consistently sharp. So why do I use Group so much for static subjects: it seems to hold focus much better than single point so it offers some sort of security. My plan is to use Single Point for static birds and experiment with D-9 when I want a bit more Af security …

If you are a Nikon user with a 600 VR and the TC-E14 I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject.

This image was also created on last Saturday’s Gatorland In-the-Field session with Terry Tsuchiyama.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 mega-high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 1000: 1/200 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial … AWB at 9:46am in the shade of a shelter. Expand Flexible Spot on the bird’s right eye. Image #3: Face portrait of large Snowy Egret chick

SONY for Close Work

As we have seen here before, the SONY 100-400 OSS lens with or without the FE 1.4X teleconverter is superb when working at close range with tame birds. The .98 meter (3 feet 2 1/2 inches) matches the close focus of the Canon 100-400 II and OSS (Optical Steady Shot) technology in the 100-400 FE and the 5-axis SteadyShot INSIDE image stabilization in the a7R iii minimize the effects of camera and lens shake when shooting handheld at relatively slow shutter speeds.

With the teleconverter in play you have a lightweight rig that is easily hand holdable and offers 11.2X magnification (at 560mm). And with the a7R iii you enjoy superb 44MP image quality and the ability to work at some very slow shutter speeds. Hand holding is a huge advantage when working in tight spots at distraction-filled nesting bird rookeries. Note that for the image below I used one of my patented Gatorland techniques to get a relatively clean look at the nest.

This image was also created on last Saturday’s Gatorland In-the-Field session with Terry Tsuchiyama. Again 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 mega-high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 1600: 1/250 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial … AWB at 10:01am in the shade of a shelter on a now cloudy morning. Expand Flexible Spot on the bird’s right eye. Image #4: Small Snowy Egret chick in the nest with siblings

Two System Insanity

For many, many year I assumed that attempting to work with two systems — in this case Nikon and SONY — would be pure insanity.

Here are some of the negatives:

1- Confusion operating different cameras from different manufacturers leads to lost time and missed images.

2- You need to travel with at least four camera bodies and with different batteries and battery chargers. And of course, with different lenses and teleconverters.

Can you think of any others?

Or Not?

I am actually quite comfortable working with the Nikon 600 VR and the SONY 100-400 OSS and their respective 1.4X teleconverters. Recently I have been using the 600VR without the TC more than I had in the past and go both ways with the SONY stuff, using the a7R iii with the TC a lot more than I expected to. The Nikon 600 gives me speed (at f/4) when I need it and 840mm of reach. The SONY stuff gives me amazing close focus and is hand holdable at 560mm. I know for sure that I will not be bringing the 600 VR on the Galapagos trip and will be bringing the SONY stuff with both bodies along with the Nikon 500 PF and my two D850 bodies. There are no camera stores or Fed-X deliveries in the archipelago.

On US-based trips where I need to bring the 600VR, I will likely ship some stuff to my location. But that leads me scratching my head as far as the upcoming UK Puffins and Gannets and Red Kites trip …

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s four featured images is your favorite? Be sure to let us know why.

SONY A9 Getting Started Guide with Video

If you are just getting started with your SONY a9 body and would like to know how to set the menu items that are relevant to bird photography, please send a Paypal for $22.00 to e-mail with SONY Quick Start Guide in the Subject line or at least somewhere in the e-mail. The guide also includes the best Focus Areas to use for photographing birds both in flight and action and at rest. Along with my comments.

Get a Free Copy!

If you have used my B&H or Bedford affiliate link to purchase a SONY a9 or the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens please shoot me your receipt via e-mail along with a request for your free copy of the SONY Quick Start Guide. Once I confirm that you have used the link correctly you will receive your guide with a link to the video via e-mail.

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. All of the images on this card were created on the 2018 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT

The New, Expanded 2019 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT. Seahouses, Bempton Cliffs, and the Dunbar, Scotland Gannet boat to Bass Rock! Thursday June 27 (from EDI) through Tuesday, July 9, 2019 (on the ground; fly home on Wednesday July 10.): $9,999. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 1

Please e-mail to learn about the very large late-registration discount

Join me in the UK in late June and early July 2019 to photograph Atlantic Puffin, Common Murre, Razorbill, Shag, and Northern Gannet, Red Kite, and more both in flight and at close range. We will also have great chances with Arctic and Sandwich Terns, both with chicks of all sizes; Black-headed, Lesser-Black-backed, and Herring Gulls, many of those chasing puffins with fish; Black-legged Kittiwake with chicks; plus Grey Seal. There will be tons of great flight photography. As on all IPTs, if you pay attention, you will learn a ton, especially about sky conditions and the relationship between light angle and wind direction and their effects on flight photography.

Why go all the way to Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine, endure a two-hour boat ride, and have to photograph Atlantic Puffins from a cramped blind usually in bright sun (and well off sun angle) when you can hop a red-eye flight from Newark, NJ and be in Edinburgh, Scotland early the next morning. First we drive down to Bridlington for easy access to Bempton Cliffs where our primary targets will be Northern Gannet in flight. We will also get to photograph Razorbill, Northern Fulmar, Herring Gull, and Black-legged Kittiwake. While in Bridlington we will spend one afternoon visiting a Red Kite feeding station that should provide lots of flight photography action.

While in Bridlington we will staying at the White Horse Inn in Cranswick, about twenty minutes from Bempton Cliffs. After 3 1/2 days of photography there, we drive down to Seahouses in Northumberland to the two lodges that will be our home base for a week. After a short boat ride each day we will have hundreds of puffins posing at close range all day, every day — usually in ideal cloudy-bright conditions. While we are in Seahouses we will do six puffin/seabird trips, all weather permitting of course; last year we did not miss a single landing. In five years we have averaged losing less than one half day per year to bad weather. We land at Staple Island in the mornings and then sail over to Inner Farnes for our afternoon sessions. In addition, we may enjoy a session or two photographing nesting Black-legged Kittiwakes at eye level from a rocky beach in Seahouses.

In Seahouses, we stay 7 nights in gorgeous, modern, upscale lodges with Wi-fi. They are beyond lovely with large living areas and lots of open space for the informal image sharing and Photoshop sessions. The bedrooms are decent-sized. Each lodge has one double bedroom and two twin bedrooms. (See the single supplement info below.) At the lodges we cook our own breakfasts each morning and prepare our own lunches to be brought on the six puffin boat trips. For dinners we will alternate cooking in the lodges with fine dining at several excellent local restaurants. We stay two nights at the Marston’s Inn in Dunbar. We will enjoy a fine-dining Thank You dinner at the Dunbar Hotel on the Tuesday evening before we fly home.

On the morning of Monday, July 8, 2019, the plan is to sleep late, pack, and head up to Dunbar Harbor, Scotland for lunch and an afternoon gannet boat chumming trip: flight photography until you cannot lift your camera. The next morning, Tuesday July 9, we will enjoy our second gannet boat chumming trip (both weather permitting). On both trips we will enjoy great views of the huge gannetry at Bass Rock. Included will be two nights lodging at the Pine Martin by Marston’s Inn in Dunbar. Very early on the morning of Wednesday, July 10, we will drive up to Edinburgh Airport so that everyone can make their flights home. No moaning please. You will need a flight that leaves at 8:30am or later. Not too much later is generally best.

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. All images were created on the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT

The Details

This IPT is all-inclusive except for your airfare and alcoholic beverages. All ground transportation, lodging costs, meals, your National Trust membership, and all boat, entry, and landing fees are included. Weather permitting, we will enjoy three and one-half days (at least six sessions in all) at Bempton Cliffs, an afternoon with the Red Kites, six full days on the puffin boats, one amazing afternoon gannet chumming trip, and one spectacular morning gannet chumming trip.

IPT Details

If you are good to go sharing a room–couples of course are more than welcome, heck, we actually need two couples — please send your non-refundable $2,000/person deposit check now to save a spot. Please be sure to check your schedule carefully before committing to the trip and see the travel insurance info below. Your balance will be due on February 28, 2019. Please make your check out to “Arthur Morris” and send it to Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855.

Please shoot me an e-mail if you are good to go or if you have any questions.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for big international trips is highly recommended as we never know what life has in store for us. I strongly recommend that you purchase quality 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.

I truly hope that you can join me on this exciting venture.

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 New 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?

I woke very early on Sunday May 12 and met retired Boeing materials engineer Terry Tsuchiyama — visiting from Seattle, WA — for a morning of instruction at Gatorland. As on my last visit, I found fewer birds than in any year in recent memory. But again, the photography was very good to excellent for those able to spot the good situations. We had a great time and Terry particularly enjoyed our working lunch. He had wanted to learn the NeatImage noise reduction techniques that I use, those detailed in Arash Hazeghi’s The Professional Post Processing e-Guide Based on NeatImage V 8.2. As this is an advanced technique, I created a six-minute Camtasia MP.4 video just for Terry. To introduce folks to our MP.4 videos I’d be glad to send all a free copy. Simply shoot me an e-mail to get your free copy.

We had so much fun that I did not get home from the “morning session” until 3:30pm. (I-4 was standing still from Orlando seemingly to Tampa so I had to take the scenic route. After my nap I was greeted by an afternoon of thunder and lightning so I wound up having dinner first and then getting in the pool when it was just about dark for a quick 50 lengths. On Saturday I did an even 100. 88 lengths is one mile. But I swim very slowly.

For sure I was the only person on the planet (aside from Steve Kerr and the rest of the Golden State Warriors) to believe that the Warriors without their injured superstar Kevin Durant but with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and Draymond Green would vanquish the Houston Rockets (can you say James Harden and CP3?), their bitter rivals, from the NBA playoffs in Game 6 (at Houston no less!) But that is exactly what they did to the tune of 118 to 113. Hooray.

Like Puffins?

Scroll down to save a ton of money.

FlexShooter Pro Update

By first leveling the tripod platform and then leveling the FlexShooter Pro via the large silver ball, I was able to reposition my tripod on the boardwalk at Gatorland with impunity and was ready to go instantly with everything square to the world.

Not surprisingly, we have sold all twenty FlexShooter Pros that we received with our first shipment. Another twenty are on the way as we speak.Two of those are already accounted for. Folks are encouraged to place their orders now by phone; your card will not be charged until your head ships. Once folks have a chance to play with a friend’s FlexShooter Pro, or run across me in the field with my 600 VR, I expect sales to boom. Think that I am full of it? Do you remember when everyone used Gitzo tripods? Today, all that you see in the world of nature photography are Induro tripods. Folks always gravitate to gear that is better, well made, more efficient, and less expensive …

I do have one barely used FlexShooter Pro head, the one with the very slightly smaller knob (11/16″ vs 7/8″) for sale. If I had not mentioned the difference in the size of the knobs, nobody would have noticed. In any case, if you would like to save $50, I’d be glad to sell it for $549.00. Phone orders only: 1-863-692-0906 Saturday or Sunday afternoon or any weekday.

BIRDS AS ART

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

Lessons From the Field/BIRDS AS ART Style is a 1 hour, 15 minute, 314 image, click and play MP4 video

Lessons From the Field/BIRDS AS ART Style: $10.00

Click here to order or see the Save $10 Bundle offer below.

Lessons From the Field/BIRDS AS ART Style is a 1 hour, 15 minute click and play MP4 video. It is available here in the BAA Online Store, by phone order, or by sending a Paypal for $10.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net. As the file is a large one, be sure to upload it when you have a good internet connection.

The video features 314 of artie’s best images, educational and otherwise. Based on his 35 years of in-the-field experience, it covers all the basics along with many fine points. Are you making mistakes that give you no chance to create a great image? Learning to avoid those and learning to think like a pro will make you a better photographer. If you purchase and study the video, it will surely prove to be the best ten dollars you’ve ever spent on photography.

Save Ten Bucks!

Order the Lessons From the Field MP4 video and add a copy of the birds as art: The Avian Photography of Arthur Morris/The Top 100 (via convenient download — normally sells for $20.00) for an additional 10.00.

Order the bundle for $20.00 by clicking here.

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 taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.

Booking.Com

Many IPT folks have been using the Booking.Com link below to get great rates and save a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.

Airbnb

I enjoyed another great inexpensive AirBNB on the recently concluded 2019 Fort DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT. For the past year, I have been using AirBNB for all of my travel lodging needs. Everyone on the Fort DeSoto Spring IPT stayed at AirBNB properties in Gulfport. Airbnb lists more than 4.5 million homes across 200 countries; you’ll find spacious, affordable options for every occasion. With Airbnb you will travel with confidence as reviews from past guests help you find the right fit. Once you do, their secure messaging makes it easy to coordinate with your host. And Airbnb support teams are available 24/7. And this morning, I made a 17-day reservation for an Airbnb condo for San Diego, 2020. I am staying with Rick again: his place has lots of room, a full kitchen, two bedrooms, and great WiFi. All for a lot less than the price of a chain hotel.

Yikes. I almost forgot the best part: Airbnb rates average less than half of even the least expensive chain hotels and motels. If you would like to save $40 on your first booking sign up by using this link: Airbnb. Airbnb does charge clean-up and service fees that make short stays less attractive bargains than long stays.

Those who prefer to stay in a motel or hotel are invited to use the Booking.com link above to save $25.00.

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 also created on the 2019 DeSoto Sandbar Secrets 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 mega-high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 640: 1/500 sec. at f/16 in Manual mode. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial … AWB at 9:27am with some light clouds in play. Expand Flexible Spot on the bird’s right eye. Image #1: Great Blue Heron head and neck portrait from below

Binocular Vision in Herons and Egrets

I first came up with the concept for this image while lying on my back on the Sanibel Fishing Pier shooting up at a Great Egret. That was with film on a Southwest Florida IPT about a zillion years ago with friend Ellen Anon co-leading. Such images are possible whenever you find a situation where the bird is perched above you. I was standing at full height for this one.

Image #1 above clearly illustrates the fact that herons have binocular vision and can see objects beyond and below their bills, helpful if you make your living plucking fish out of the water. Among land or air based predators binocular vision is the norm. Herons’ (and egrets”) eyes are placed on the sides of their heads allowing them to see potential trouble heading their way from the side. They are however, far enough forward that both eyes can be used to peer down into the water at their prey. Two eyes are better than one when trying to gauge position and distance.

Birds such as mallards, and mammals like rabbits, have their eyes placed high and laterally dead center on their heads allowing them a 360 degree view of the world. It’s tough to sneak up on either. Although herons can’t see directly behind themselves, a simple turn of that long flexible neck lets them quickly check out anything sneaking up from behind. They give up some of their ability to see potential predators approaching from the rear in order to have binocular vision, but you still have be be on your tippy toes to sneak up on them.

This image was also created on May 7, 2019 on the 2019 DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT. Again 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 mega-high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 500: 1/2500 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial … AWB at 6:27pm on a sunny afternoon. Center Zone AF. Image #2: Sandwich Tern double-overhead wing stretch

Loving the SONY a7R iii with the 1.4X FE Teleconverter

Though it has taken me a while to embrace the SONY a7R iii, I have become increasingly happy with the images and the image files made with this 42MP Mirrorless Digital camera body. Though neither the AF system nor the frame rate with the a7R iii are as fast as with the Sony Alpha a9, the more I use the a7 R iii the more I like it. I killed with it at Gatorland yesterday morning. Images soon.

I love the fine feather detail, the ability to withstand even large crops, and especially the color. The fact that it is eminently effective with the Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter is a huge plus. With the TC you get accurate AF across 93% of the frame.

That Image #2 is slightly sharper on the near wing than on the bird’s head is due to operator error. I was not able to properly frame the image when the bird unexpectedly jumped forward … Selectively sharpening the face with a Contrast Mask helped for web presentation.

This image was also created on the 2019 DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT. Again I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter (at 560mm) and the mega-high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 640: 1/2500 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial … AWB at 5:38pm on a sunny afternoon. Center Zone AF. Image #3: Royal Tern in flight

The SONY a7R iii with the 1.4X FE Teleconverter for Flight Photography

I was glad to see that the a7R iii/FE 1.4X TC, SONY 100-400 OSS combo is viable for photographing birds in flight. I am not quite sure what is so different about doing flight with this SONY gear, but with practice, I am getting better and better with each session. I created lots of flight keepers on the afternoon of May 7. I am liking the SONY a7R iii with the 100-400 OSS combo that my seller’s remorse over my Nikon 80-400 VR is fading quickly … And we will see in a future blog post that it is deadly for close work as well.

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s three featured images is your favorite? Be sure to let us know why.

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. All of the images on this card were created on the 2018 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT

The New, Expanded 2019 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT. Seahouses, Bempton Cliffs, and the Dunbar, Scotland Gannet boat to Bass Rock! Thursday June 27 (from EDI) through Tuesday, July 9, 2019 (on the ground; fly home on Wednesday July 10.): $9,999. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 1

Please e-mail to learn about the very large late-registration discount

Join me in the UK in late June and early July 2019 to photograph Atlantic Puffin, Common Murre, Razorbill, Shag, and Northern Gannet, Red Kite, and more both in flight and at close range. We will also have great chances with Arctic and Sandwich Terns, both with chicks of all sizes; Black-headed, Lesser-Black-backed, and Herring Gulls, many of those chasing puffins with fish; Black-legged Kittiwake with chicks; plus Grey Seal. There will be tons of great flight photography. As on all IPTs, if you pay attention, you will learn a ton, especially about sky conditions and the relationship between light angle and wind direction and their effects on flight photography.

Why go all the way to Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine, endure a two-hour boat ride, and have to photograph Atlantic Puffins from a cramped blind usually in bright sun (and well off sun angle) when you can hop a red-eye flight from Newark, NJ and be in Edinburgh, Scotland early the next morning. First we drive down to Bridlington for easy access to Bempton Cliffs where our primary targets will be Northern Gannet in flight. We will also get to photograph Razorbill, Northern Fulmar, Herring Gull, and Black-legged Kittiwake. While in Bridlington we will spend one afternoon visiting a Red Kite feeding station that should provide lots of flight photography action.

While in Bridlington we will staying at the White Horse Inn in Cranswick, about twenty minutes from Bempton Cliffs. After 3 1/2 days of photography there, we drive down to Seahouses in Northumberland to the two lodges that will be our home base for a week. After a short boat ride each day we will have hundreds of puffins posing at close range all day, every day — usually in ideal cloudy-bright conditions. While we are in Seahouses we will do six puffin/seabird trips, all weather permitting of course; last year we did not miss a single landing. In five years we have averaged losing less than one half day per year to bad weather. We land at Staple Island in the mornings and then sail over to Inner Farnes for our afternoon sessions. In addition, we may enjoy a session or two photographing nesting Black-legged Kittiwakes at eye level from a rocky beach in Seahouses.

In Seahouses, we stay 7 nights in gorgeous, modern, upscale lodges with Wi-fi. They are beyond lovely with large living areas and lots of open space for the informal image sharing and Photoshop sessions. The bedrooms are decent-sized. Each lodge has one double bedroom and two twin bedrooms. (See the single supplement info below.) At the lodges we cook our own breakfasts each morning and prepare our own lunches to be brought on the six puffin boat trips. For dinners we will alternate cooking in the lodges with fine dining at several excellent local restaurants. We stay two nights at the Marston’s Inn in Dunbar. We will enjoy a fine-dining Thank You dinner at the Dunbar Hotel on the Tuesday evening before we fly home.

On the morning of Monday, July 8, 2019, the plan is to sleep late, pack, and head up to Dunbar Harbor, Scotland for lunch and an afternoon gannet boat chumming trip: flight photography until you cannot lift your camera. The next morning, Tuesday July 9, we will enjoy our second gannet boat chumming trip (both weather permitting). On both trips we will enjoy great views of the huge gannetry at Bass Rock. Included will be two nights lodging at the Pine Martin by Marston’s Inn in Dunbar. Very early on the morning of Wednesday, July 10, we will drive up to Edinburgh Airport so that everyone can make their flights home. No moaning please. You will need a flight that leaves at 8:30am or later. Not too much later is generally best.

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. All images were created on the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT

The Details

This IPT is all-inclusive except for your airfare and alcoholic beverages. All ground transportation, lodging costs, meals, your National Trust membership, and all boat, entry, and landing fees are included. Weather permitting, we will enjoy three and one-half days (at least six sessions in all) at Bempton Cliffs, an afternoon with the Red Kites, six full days on the puffin boats, one amazing afternoon gannet chumming trip, and one spectacular morning gannet chumming trip.

IPT Details

If you are good to go sharing a room–couples of course are more than welcome, heck, we actually need two couples — please send your non-refundable $2,000/person deposit check now to save a spot. Please be sure to check your schedule carefully before committing to the trip and see the travel insurance info below. Your balance will be due on February 28, 2019. Please make your check out to “Arthur Morris” and send it to Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855.

Please shoot me an e-mail if you are good to go or if you have any questions.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for big international trips is highly recommended as we never know what life has in store for us. I strongly recommend that you purchase quality 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.

I truly hope that you can join me on this exciting venture.

What’s Up?

Back home and working hard. Swimming every day. If you have a moment, please check out yesterday’s blog post here and let us know which of the six featured images is your favorite and why? Only two folks left their opinions yesterday … The blog is designed to be interactive; the more folks who comment, the more everyone learns — including me.

Last Gatorland In-the-Field Session of the Season: Sunday May 12, 2019.

Join me at Gatorland this Sunday and learn a ton. It will be prime time for Cattle Egrets in breeding plumage, we might even have a shot at some Little Blue Herons, and there will still be lots of chicks of all sizes. There were still some nests with eggs on my last visit. Learn to shoot in the shade on sunny days! Most folks who visit Gatorland simply have no clue. Join me to learn how to photograph at easily accessible rookeries. An intermediate telephoto lens is all that you will need. I will have two of those and my 600 VR. Learn to think and see like a pro. A loaner FlexShooter Pro will be available.

Morning Session — 7-10am: $200.00
Morning Session with a 90-minute working lunch including image review and Photoshop: $300.00.

FlexShooter Pro You can order your FlexShooter Pro from the BAA Online Store right now for $599.00 plus the shipping by clicking here, or by phone at 863-692-0906. We started with twenty units and expect the rest of those to be gone quickly as we have sold four already by word of mouth …

More on the FlexShooter Pro

We have already sold 19 of the 20 heads that we received in our first shipment. We have re-ordered and should have them in stock by the very end of next week (or the following Monday at worst). Folks are encouraged to place their orders now by phone; your card will not be charged until your head ships. Once folks have a chance to play with a friend’s FlexShooter Pro, or meet me in the field with my 600 VR, I expect sales to boom. Think that I am full of it? Do you remember when everyone used Gitzo tripods? Today, all that you see in the world of nature photography are Induro tripods. Folks always gravitate to gear that is better, well made, more efficient, and less expensive …

This Just In!

We are now officially sold out. I do have one barely used FlexShooter Pro head, the one with the very slightly smaller knob (11/16″ vs 7/8″) for sale. If I had not mentioned the difference in the size of the knobs nobody would have noticed. In any case, if you would like to save $50 I’d be glad to sell it for $549.00. Phone orders only to 863-692-0906 between 10:15am and 1:00pm Friday or any time on Monday (if it lasts that long). Again, if you want to be assured of getting one from our next shipment it would be to place a phone order as above. Your card will not be billed until your item ships.

A Comment by Daniel Gomez-Ibanez

I’ve had a chance to try the FlexShooter Pro that I ordered from BAA a few times during the last week. I am using it in place of my 4th Generation Design Mongoose 3.6. I really like the new head, not only because it maintains the level but especially because it is much, much easier to adjust the tension than on the Mongoose. It is easy to find and set exactly the right amount of tension on the rig — in my case a Canon 800mm f/5.6 or a 300mm f/2.8 (sometimes with 2x extension) and the 1D-X Mark 2. I think the smoother tension makes it easier to keep the rig perfectly steady when photographing with the FlexShooter (as compared to the Mongoose). Sometimes the Mongoose jiggled a bit even when I was using your good bracing (sharpness) techniques, but that doesn’t seem to happen with the FlexShooter. I’m wondering if you’ve experienced the same advantage with the FlexShooter’s tension adjustment. It is nice also having the FlexShooter’s single tension knob rather than two as on the Mongoose. Has that been a factor aS FAR AS using the new ball head for flight photos?

Thanks for making this good ballhead easily available in the U.S. — and at no greater cost than ordering it from Hungary.

My Reply

Thanks for your purchase Daniel. Yes, the tension settings on the FlexShooter are mega. And I agree that the single control is a big plus; as I’ve been saying, the Silver Bullet Knob is our best friend! I used the Mongoose for well more than a decade because it was the best and lightest available, and it was and is a lot, lot better than some of the crappy knock-offs, and a lot, lot lighter than the Wimberley V2. And yes again — both the smooth, easily adjustable tension and the ease of operation were factors that I considered before deciding to go to the FlexShooter Pro full time.

YAW, and thanks again for your purchase. I hope to see you on an IPT one of these days.

with love, artie

ps: Please note that we are able to sell them for less than if you had to have them shipped from Hungary . 🙂

This image was created on May 6, 2019, on the last afternoon of the DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and my souped-up Nikon D850. ISO 400. Matrix metering as framed: 1/640 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode was, as you can see by the histogram, close to three stops underexposed. AUTO1 WB at 8:06pm just after sunset. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +4. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. One down and one to the right of center Group (grp) AF/Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) was active at the moment of exposure. See the Nikon Capture NX-D screen capture below to learn a ton. Photo Mechanic screen capture Click on the image if you would like to read the fine print.

Questions

#1: What is the bird?

##2: Would you keep this image? (There were no others in the series.) Why or why not?

#3: If you have any idea has to how I wound up so many stops under-exposed, please leave a comment?

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 New 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?

Wow, I have so much to share and so many new and exciting images that I didn’t know where to start. So I chose a sharp image made at 400mm with the SONY gear at 1/8 second … Sorry, that is not a typo! . Read on to learn more.

Multiple IPT veterans Anita North and Jim Miller headed out on Sunday afternoon but my first choice location was overrun by beach-goers. My #2 afternoon spot turned out to be the bomb. We had crazy tame shorebirds in breeding plumage. Those included Black-bellied and Wilson’s Plovers, Least, Semipalmated, and an amazing three White-rumped Sandpipers, Willet, Short-billed Dowitcher, and Dunlin. Later in the afternoon they were going by several equally tame Great Egrets and a single handsome breeding plumage adult Little Blue Heron. All were fishing and all were catching! BTW, I had only seen white-rumps once before in spring.

On Monday morning the weather forecast looked grim and things started off a bit slowly. But we wound up having a spectacular morning and the weather was great as well. The 100% chance of thunder and lighting never materialized. The highlights of our morning at DeSoto were bathing skimmers on another low light morning — can you say pleasing blurs?, and some absolutely tame Snowy and Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons. One of the snowies was in full breeding plumage with the cherry red lores and a bill that looked as if it were made from polished ebony.

I was glad to learn recently that IPT veteran Joel Eade sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS (the original IS model, the “old five”) in excellent condition for the BAA record-low price of $2750.l00 (was 2999.00) within days of listing it and that Douglas Smith sold his Canon EF 400mm f/4L IS DO II USM lens in near-mint condition for only $4425.00 for a quick sale after listing it for a BAA record-low $4999.00.

FlexShooter Pro

I had lots of great flight photography opps on Sunday morning with the 600 VR on the FlexShooter Pro. I killed. Images soon. And each day I learn a bit more that makes working with this great head easier. A few days ago I was wondering whether I would be using the Mongoose M3.6 or the FlexShooter Pro six months from now. Today, I am pretty positive that I will be using a FlexShooter Pro for all of my photography … If you missed the news on the FlexShooter Pro, the great new counter-balanced gimbal/ballhead, check out the blog post here. We’ve sold a dozen so far so there are just 11 in stock right now …

Last Gatorland In-the-Field Sessions of the Season: Friday May 10, Saturday May 11, or Sunday May 12, 2019.

Join me at Gatorland this coming weekend and learn a ton. It will be prime time for Cattle Egrets in breeding plumage, we might even have a shot at some Little Blue Herons, and there will still be lots of chicks of all sizes. There were still some nests with eggs on my last visit. Learn to shoot in the shade on sunny days! Most folks who visit Gatorland simply have no clue. Join me to learn how to photograph at easily accessible rookeries. An intermediate telephoto lens is all that you will need. I will have two of those and my 600 VR. Learn to think and see like a pro. A loaner FlexShooter Pro will be available.

Morning Session — 7-10am: $200.00
Morning Session with a 90-minute working lunch including image review and Photoshop: $300.00.

Still Desperate 🙂

I am desperately seeking one or two for the Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime — no reasonable offer will be refused. And I am fervently hoping to sign up exactly one more photographer (male or female) for the UK Puffins, Gannets, and Red Kites IPT — with a large late-registration discount.

• The New, Expanded 2019 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT. Seahouses, Bempton Cliffs, and the Dunbar, Scotland Gannet boat to Bass Rock! Thursday June 27 (from EDI) through Tuesday, July 9, 2019 (on the ground; fly home on Wednesday July 10.): $9,999 — a large late-registration discount is available. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 1
• The GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience. July 23 to August 6, 2019 on the boat. 13 FULL and two half-days of photography: $14,499 — no reasonable offer will be refused. Limit: 12 photographers/Openings: 2.
• 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)

SONY A9 Getting Started Guide with Video

If you are just getting started with your SONY a9 body and would like to know how to set the menu items that are relevant to bird photography, please send a Paypal for $22.00 to e-mail with SONY Quick Start Guide in the Subject line or at least somewhere in the e-mail. The guide also includes the best Focus Areas to use for photographing birds both in flight and action and at rest. Along with my comments.

Get a Free Copy!

If you have used my B&H or Bedford affiliate link to purchase a SONY a9 or the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens please shoot me your receipt via e-mail along with a request for your free copy of the SONY Quick Start Guide. Once I confirm that you have used the link correctly you will receive your guide with a link to the video via e-mail.

BIRDS AS ART

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

Lessons From the Field/BIRDS AS ART Style is a 1 hour, 15 minute, 314 image, click and play MP4 video

Lessons From the Field/BIRDS AS ART Style: $10.00

Click here to order or see the Save $10 Bundle offer below.

Lessons From the Field/BIRDS AS ART Style is a 1 hour, 15 minute click and play MP4 video. It is available here in the BAA Online Store, by phone order, or by sending a Paypal for $10.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net. As the file is a large one, be sure to upload it when you have a good internet connection.

The video features 314 of artie’s best images, educational and otherwise. Based on his 35 years of in-the-field experience, it covers all the basics along with many fine points. Are you making mistakes that give you no chance to create a great image? Learning to avoid those and learning to think like a pro will make you a better photographer. If you purchase and study the video, it will surely prove to be the best ten dollars you’ve ever spent on photography.

Save Ten Bucks!

Order the Lessons From the Field MP4 video and add a copy of the birds as art: The Avian Photography of Arthur Morris/The Top 100 (via convenient download — normally sells for $20.00) for an additional 10.00.

Order the bundle for $20.00 by clicking here.

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 taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.

Booking.Com

Many IPT folks have been using the Booking.Com link below to get great rates and save a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.

Airbnb

I have been using AirBNB for all of my travel lodging needs. Everyone on the Fort DeSoto IPT is staying at an AirBNB property in Gulfport. Airbnb lists more than 4.5 million homes across 200 countries; you’ll find spacious, affordable options for every occasion. With Airbnb you will travel with confidence as reviews from past guests help you find the right fit. Once you do, their secure messaging makes it easy to coordinate with your host. And Airbnb support teams are available 24/7. And this morning, I made a 17-day reservation for an Airbnb condo for San Diego, 2020. I am staying with Rick again: his place has lots of room, a full kitchen, two bedrooms, and great WiFi. All for a lot less than the price of a chain hotel.

Yikes. I almost forgot the best part: Airbnb rates average less than half of even the least expensive chain hotels and motels. If you would like to save $40 on your first booking sign up by using this link: Airbnb. Airbnb does charge clean-up and service fees that make short stays less attractive bargains than long stays.

Those who prefer to stay in a motel or hotel are invited to use the Booking.com link above to save $25.00.

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 May 5, 2019 while scouting for the upcoming 2019 DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (at 400mm) and the high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 5000: 1/8 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode was about + 1 2/3rds stops. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial … AWB at 6:33am, 15 minutes before sunrise with a big dark cloud on the eastern horizon. Expand Flexible spot on the bird’s neck. Tracking AF was active at the moment of exposure. Image #1: Reddish Egret standing still

How Dark Was It?

The image above was created at 1/8 second at ISO 5000. How dark was it? DARK! It had just gotten light enough to focus. SONY has a clear the advantage when it comes to being able to focus when you are working with in extraordinarily low EV levels.

Accidentally Sharp …

I was hoping that this bird would dance so that I could create a pleasingly blurred image. Ordinarily I would work at about 1/15 or 1/30 second when trying this technique. But that would have included working at an ISO of 10,000 or 15,000, not what I wanted to do.

So I dropped down to a ridiculous 1/8 second and tried to create a walking bird blur (see Image #2 below) by panning very slowly with the bird as it hunted. When the bird paused for a moment, I pressed the shutter button and did not think anything of it. I was, however, pretty much stunned by the bird’s sharp eye when I saw this image, the second in a series of about ten made before the bird flew off in the darkness. Sharp at 1/8 second at 400mm while hand holding is simply not usual in my world. How did it happen? I can only credit the combination of the OSS (Optical Steady Shot) technology in the 100-400 FE and the 5-axis SteadyShot INSIDE image stabilization in the a7R iii designed to minimize the appearance of camera shake when shooting handheld. The other day I thought that sharp at 1/100 sec. at 400mm was pretty good. Sharp at 1/8 second at 400mm is totally insane.

I love the blurred water contrasting with the relatively sharp bird.

This image also was created on May 5, 2019 while scouting for the upcoming 2019 DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (at 400mm) and the high mega-pixel Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 4000: 1/8 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode was about + 1 2/3rds stops. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial … AWB, 15 seconds after Image #1 (above). Expand Flexible spot on the bird’s neck. Tracking AF was active at the moment of exposure. Image #2: Reddish Egret walking slowly …

The Walking Blur …

When trying to create a pleasingly blurred image os a bird or an animal that is walking slowly you need to get down to really low shutter speeds. At the moment of exposure this Reddish Egret was walking very slowly along the shoreline looking for a fish or two. I panned very slowly with the bird and wound up up creating one walking blur that I liked. But I liked the totally unexpected sharp one better for a variety of reasons.

For each image I applied NeatImage at 85% on the background and 35% on the bird as detailed in the in the The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly. Again, the BKGR noise cleaned up as smooth as a baby’s tush.

Do You Like Either One or Both?

Or neither? In any case, leave a comment and let us know 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 New 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?

Thanks to a post-Passover miracle, I was able to borrow a SONY a7R iii from B&H. It arrived on Thursday. I will be setting it up today — Friday May 3, 2019 — and using it at DeSoto. Will I love it? Time will tell. I am headed there today — two days early — to scout for IPT. It is not too late to join us with a healthy late registration discount. See below for details.

Do let us know your favorite of the four featured images and check out the Advanced Exposure Question below.

FlexShooter Pro

If you missed the news on the FlexShooter Pro, the great new counter-balanced gimbal/ballhead, check out the blog post here. We’ve sold nine over the first two days so just 11 left right now …

From early-purchaser Lana Hays via e-mail:

I am very impressed with the FlexShooter Pro system; it works even better than I thought it might!

New Micro-adjustment Procedure Follow-up via e-mail From Multiple IPT veteran Paul Reinstein

I can’t believe how much easier it is to run this microadjustment process at half the distance; all I can say is that i’m getting flat curves and tight clusters. thanks! Paul

If you missed it, you can learn more in the Micro-adjusting and Focus Fine-Tuning Made Way Easier Tip blog post here.

Still Desperate 🙂

I am desperately seeking one or two for the Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime — no reasonable offer will be refused. And I am fervently hoping to sign up exactly one more photographer (male or female) for the UK Puffins, Gannets, and Red Kites IPT — with a large late-registration discount. And one or two more registrants the Fort DeSoto Short-Notice Sandbar Secrets IPT would make my day — please inquire about the late registration DeSoto discount via cell phone (863-221-2372) or e-mail.

Last Gatorland In-the-Field Sessions of the Season: Friday May 10 or Saturday May 11, 2019.

Join me at Gatorland this coming Saturday and learn a ton. It will be prime time for Cattle Egrets in breeding plumage, we might even have a shot at some Little Blue Herons, and there will still be lots of chicks of all sizes. There were still some nests with eggs on my last visit. Learn to shoot in the shade on sunny days! Most folks who visit Gatorland simply have no clue. Join me to learn how to photograph at easily accessible rookeries. An intermediate telephoto lens is all that you will need. Learn to think and see like a pro. A loaner FlexShooter Pro is available for either session.

Morning Session — 7-10am: $200.00
Morning Session with a 90-minute working lunch including image review and Photoshop: $300.00.

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 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. You can always see the current listings by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

Canon EOS-1DX Mark II dSLR Body (with extras!)

IPT veteran Mark Overgaard is offering a Canon EOS-1DX Mark II (< 53,000 actuations) in near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $3799.00. The sale includes the front body cap, a RRS L-plate, two LP-E19 Battery Packs, one previous generation battery, the LP-E4N, the LC-E19 Battery Charger, one SanDisk 64GB Extreme Pro CFast 2.0 card, the card reader with a compatible USB cable, the camera strap, the original box and user documents, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US lower 48 addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made. Please contact Mark via e-mail.

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

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

IPT veteran Mark Overgaard is also offering a Canon EOS 7D Mark II (92,170 shutter count) in excellent plus to near-mint condition (but for a few small scratch marks on the rear LCD) for the BAA record-low price of $749.00. The sale includes the front body cap, a RRS L-plate, one LP-E6N Battery Pack, the battery charger, the camera strap, the original box and user documents, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US lower 48 addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Mark via e-mail.

The 7D Mark II is Canon’s top of the line crop factor body. If you doubt the image quality, do a search in the little white box on the top right of each blog post for “Dan Cadieux” or check out his incredible work in the Avian Forum on BirdPhotographer’s.Net. Or you can check out his opera-singing 7D II Virginia Rail image here. Not to mention that I made a slew of great images with this best-value-ever in a digital camera body … artie

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… 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 April 28, 2019, at Gatorland on my own. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (at 400mm) and the beyond remarkable Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Digital Camera. ISO 640: 1/100 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial … AWB at 7:35am in the shade of a shelter). Expand Flexible Spot on the face of the closest bird. Image #1: Snowy Egret — two unfledged chicks near the nest

SONY Image Stabilization

The combination of the OSS (Optical Steady Shot) technology in the 100-400 FE and the 5-axis SteadyShot INSIDE image stabilization in the a9 combine to minimize the appearance of camera shake when shooting handheld. — razor sharp at 1/000 second at 400mm is fairly impressive. Being able to work at relatively slow shutter speeds enables you to avoid using higher than desirable ISOs.

This image was also created on April 28, 2019, at Gatorland on my own. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter (at 560mm), and the beyond remarkable Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Digital Camera. ISO 1000: 1/200 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. AWB at 9:23am in the shade of the same shelter). Expand Flexible Spot on the bird’s right eye. Image #2: Snowy Egret large unfledged chick looking coy

Snowy Egret Chick Bill Color Variation

Note that the bill color on all three Snowy Egret chicks in Image #1 and Image #2 is different. Such differences are related both to age and to individual variation. With chicks 2-4 weeks old separating Snowy Egret chicks from Little Blue Heron chicks is difficult to impossible. Separating those chicks from Cattle Egret chicks is more do-able as the bills of Cattle Egret at this stage are almost always solidly black and a bit thicker than the bills of the other two species. In addition, the heads of Cattle Egret chicks are always a bit blocky giving them a of square-headed look. As is usual, I noted only a very few Little Blue Heron nests on my last visit to Gatorland. It was quite unusual that although there were lots of Cattle Egrets setting up, I did not see a single nest with or without eggs.

This image was also created on April 28, 2019, at Gatorland on my own. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (at 400mm) and the beyond remarkable Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Digital Camera. ISO 640: 1/200 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial … AWB at 7:32am with the bird in the shade of a shelter). Expand Flexible Spot on the bird’s eye. Image #3: Great Egret, large unfledged chick

The SONY Exposure Advantage

Those using the Zebra function with SONY mirrorless cameras have a huge advantage over the rest of the world when it comes to quickly determine the best exposure. The Zebras are far more valuable than the in-camera histogram as the histogram will shift left or right drastically with small change in the image design. I set my desired shutter speed and aperture for a given situation and then raise (or lower) the ISO using the rear thumb wheel until I see only a smattering of Zebras. I should have noted that Zebras are the equivalent of in-viewfinder blinkies; they are visible with a half-press of the shutter button before you make an image.

This image was also created on April 28, 2019, at Gatorland on my own. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter (at 560mm), and the beyond remarkable Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Digital Camera. ISO 800: 1/160 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. AWB at 9:33am in the shade of the same shelter). Expand Flexible Spot on the bird’s eye. Image #4: Great Egret large unfledged tight face detail

SONY FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens: Tight Quarters Chick Slayer …

SONY FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens is incredibly versatile when working at close quarters in varying lighting conditions. Adding the Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter to the mix only increases this great versatility by giving you an additional 160mm of reach. At 560mm you have an approximate magnification of 11.2X. Do note the incredible variety of framing in today’s four images. As noted above, getting the right exposure is a breeze whether you are working in bright or very dark conditions. And the .98 meter minimum focusing distance is deadly at close range.

Your Favorite

Which of today’s four featured images do you think is that strongest? Do leave a comment and let us know why you made our choice.

An Advanced Exposure Question

Which image represents the most difficult exposure challenge. Why?

Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, many in full breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left around to center: Laughing Gull landing on head of Brown Pelican, Laughing Gull in flight, Reddish Egret sunrise silhouette, Great Blue Heron with needlefish, Yellow-crowned Night Heron with ghost crab, Roseate Spoonbill, Sanderling in breeding plumage, and white morph Reddish Egret in glorious breeding plumage.

The 2019 Fort DeSoto Short-Notice Sandbar Secrets IPT/Sunday May 5 through the morning session on Wednesday May 8, 2019: 3 1/2 DAYS: $1649. Limit 4/Openings: 2. Meet and greet at 7PM on the evening of Saturday May 4.

Please inquire about the late-registration DeSoto discount via cell phone (863-221-2372) or e-mail.

Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for a great variety of migrant shorebirds, gulls, terns, and passerines in Spring. Many of the gulls and terns will be courting and copulating. There the migrants join hundreds of Florida resident egrets, herons, night-herons, and pelicans on the T-shaped peninsula. We should get to photograph one of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and many of those will be in their spectacular breeding plumages. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron is a strong possibility. We may get to see and photograph the amazing heron/egret hybrid that has been present for three years. And we should enjoy some great 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. Yikes, I almost forgot to mention that nearly all of the birds are ridiculously tame!

Yes, Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left around to center: breeding plumage Dunlin, dark morph Reddish Egret displaying, Laughing Gull vertical front-end portrait, Laughing Gull with prey item, landing on head of Brown Pelican, breeding plumage Royal Tern displaying, Royal Terns — pre-copulatory stance, Laughing Gulls copulating, Laughing Gull head portrait, breeding plumage Sandwich Tern with fish, and a rare treat, a breeding plumage White-rumped Sandpiper.

Just some of the stuff you will learn …

On the IPT you will learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. 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).

Again, Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left around to center: Laughing Gull in flight, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Sandwich Terns copulating, Roseate Spoonbill, Great Egret with reflection, breeding plumage Short-billed Dowitcher, American Oystercatcher, Royal Tern, white morph Reddish Egret, and Snowy Egret in marsh.

What we do

There will be seven shooting sessions in all: four 3+ hours morning session and three 2 1/2 hour afternoon sessions. There will be Photoshop/image review/critiquing sessions during lunch (lunch is included) on each of the three full days. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.

The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with the hotel/lodging information. Airport pick-up might be available as is riding with the leader. Combine those to avoid having to rent a car.

You got it, Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left around to center: Roseate Spoonbill, immature Brown Pelican in flight, the heron/egret hybrid, American Oystercatcher feeding, immature Royal Tern on railing, Great Egret morning silhouette, Black Skimmer in surf, and underside head portrait of Great Blue Heron.

Signing Up

A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with four folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please remember that the meet and greet will take place on the evening of Saturday May 4. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

Early and Late

Getting up early and staying out late is pretty much a staple on all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours; on this particular trip we will get lots of sleep as the days are short. Being in the field well before the sun comes up and staying out until sunset will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest. 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 arrive.

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 New 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?

I had planned to head down to the lake early this morning but had so much work to do that I opted out despite the perfect weather and a gentle northeast breeze.

Preparing this blog post took about six hours; writing good how-to is a painstaking exercise. If something below does not make sense or if you have any questions about any of the FlexShooter stuff, please leave a comment.

FlexShooter Pro You can order your FlexShooter Pro from the BAA Online Store right now for $599.00 plus the shipping by clicking here, or by phone at 863-692-0906. We started with twenty units and expect the rest of those to be gone quickly as we have sold four already by word of mouth …

The FlexShooter Pro Tripod Head

$599.00 plus the shipping

Years ago I tried a double ballhead and was not at all impressed. About four months ago I got my hands on a FlexShooter Pro. The first thing that I did was to let the manufacturer know that in my opinion, the knob on the clamp was a bit too small. He instituted a design change. All but one of the heads we have in stock has the slightly larger knob. If you might be interested in the head with the smaller knob, please get in touch via e-mail.

With my heavy travel schedule and my newfound love of hand holding the 500 PF, I did not commit to using the FlexShooter Pro until recently. For the past two weeks I have been putting my FlexShooter Pro to work. As I’ve learned more about how to set up and use the FlexShooter Pro, to say that I was and am impressed would be an understatement. The head is amazing.

To begin, the FlexShooter Pro is a ballhead that acts like a gimbal head, only better. Why better? Once your rig is set up properly — see the tutorial below — the lens actually stays where you point it without your having to lock up the head! Where you point the lens is what you get. That thanks to the patented spring system design that is made from the most durable artificial rubber on earth, polyurethane. It was chosen because at a given volume it is capable of storing much more elastic energy than even steel springs. In short, your rig will be perfectly counter-balanced: point it and leave it. The FlexShooter Pro is designed to handle loads of up to 99 pounds so it will easily handle your longest telephoto lens with ease and with efficiency. No more ballhead flop, no more crushed fingers, and far fewer missed shots; you are always ready to go with the FlexShooter Pro. And once you center the bubble in the silver ball and level your camera body by rotating the lens in the tripod collar, you can point your telephoto lens anywhere and be assured that your rig is square to the world with level horizons. And the same is true when working with short lenses mounted via a plate on the camera body.

While the above is hard to believe, it gets even better: the FlexShooter Pro is far more versatile than any gimbal head — actually, it’s a no contest. As above, you can use your longest telephoto lens. And the same is true for your intermediate telephoto lenses, for your intermediate telephoto zooms, and for you short telephoto and macro lenses. And — and this is a huge plus — you can use your FlexShooter Pro for scenic photography with the camera body mounted — thanks to the amazing two-way Arca-Swiss compatible clamp. There is no longer a need to travel with and carry a small ballhead if you wish to do photography with short lenses that do not have a tripod collar. Only the FlexShooter Pro fits all!

Once you have set the desired tension for the rig you are using — less for big glass, a bit more for the shorter lenses — and you want to lock the head down, there is absolutely no ballhead creep. What you see is what you get. I have never seen or used any tripod head that eliminates ballhead creep the way that the FlexShooter Pro does. Frame it, tighten the Silver Bullet Knob and forget it. This is a Godsend especially for scenic and for macro photographers.

The FlexShooter Pro weighs one pound, 8.9 ounces, just 1.2 ounces more than my Mongoose m3.6 (that tips the scales at one pound, 7.7 ounces). Do compare both with the Wimberley V2 head at a hefty three pounds, 3.4 ounces.

FlexShooter Pro labeled set-up diagram

How to Set-up and Use Your FlexShooter Pro Tripod Head

In Your Home — Learning the Set-up

• 1-First tighten (clockwise) the Large Silver Ball Lever (black) to lock the large silver ball. Note, the position of the Large Silver Ball Lever can be adjusted as needed by pulling the lever straight out and then rotating it as needed and then releasing it.
• 2-Screw the head onto your tripod. To tighten it securely, grasp the black housing firmly with both hands and rotate the head in a clockwise direction. (To remove the head from the tripod for travel, reverse the procedure.)
• 3-Stand behind your tripod with the front leg of your tripod pointing at your (imaginary) subject.
• 4-Loosen (counter-clockwise) the silver ball with the Large Silver Ball Lever (black) so that housing rotates on the tripod. Position the housing so that the Large Silver Ball Lever (black) is on your left with he seam pointed directly at you. Tighten (clockwise) the Large Silver Ball Lever (black) ever-so-slightly to put just a bit of tension on the large silver ball. Then, holding the housing in your left hand, rotate the silver ball with the fingertips of your right hand until the bubble level is at the 90 degree position, that is, on your right. This will enable you to see the bubble when your telephoto lens is mounted. (You may need to re-position the level when mounting a camera body on the head.)
• 5-With the Silver Bullet Knob loosened (couter-clockwise), rotate the clamp so that the Lens Direction Arrow that is inscribed on the base of the clamp is pointed directly away from you. Now grasp the clamp and — looking straight down at the bubble, center the bubble perfectly in the scribed circle (you might need your reading glasses!) and then tighten the silver ball in its now perfectly level position by rotating the the Large Silver Ball Lever (black) firmly clockwise.
• 6-Now it is time to mount your big telephoto lens very carefully. Be sure to finger-tighten (clockwise) the Silver Bullet Knob before mounting the lens. Because of the unique design of the two-way Arca-Swiss compatible clamp, it is easier to screw up when mounting the lens than it is with either a Mongoose or a Wimberley. And the stop-stud system on the Wimberley is not available on the FlexShooter Pro. Be absolutely sure to confirm visually that the lens plate (more on those below) is seated properly in the jaws of the clamp. . Balance the lens perfectly by moving the lens plate or low foot forward and backward in the clamp as needed and be sure to check both sides of the clamp before you tighten (clockwise) the clamp knob firmly.
• 7- Using either the click-mark on the lens barrel or better yet, your in-camera level, rotate the lens in the tripod collar until it shows perfectly level. Amazingly, if you have followed the instructions above perfectly, you can point your lens up or down or left or right and the back of the camera will be perfectly square to the world. All of your herons and egrets will be standing straight up and all of your ducks will be swimming on a level pond. I call this the the always-true-level feature.
• 8- Now it is time to learn to use the Silver Bullet Knob to set the desired tension. From completely locked down (clockwise) it only takes three full turns to loosen (counter-clockwise) the small black ball completely. And you will rarely want to lock down the head completely when using a big telephoto lens. I do most of my bird photography with the small black ball adjusted to loose. That makes it easy to follow moving subjects including birds in flight. When employing slower shutter speeds, I will often finger-tighten (clockwise) the Silver Bullet Knob . Whatever tension you set, if you point the lens up or down or left or right and let it go, it will not move. And best of all, the lens is rendered weightless.

In the Field — A Practical Guide to Getting the Most Out of Your FlexShooter Pro

After you mount your lens and are ready to go for a walk or to change your position in the field, I find it best to tighten (clockwise) the Silver Bullet Knob fairly firmly so that the lens does not move at all when you are in walking.

If you will be standing (or sitting) in the same spot for a while, you will surely want to take the time to center the bubble in the scribed circle as detailed in #5 above. Be sure, however, to spread all three legs of your tripod out firmly before doing so, or, if you are working on a soft surface such as sand or mud, be sure to push down on the upper tripod legs to set the tripod firmly in place. If you do not take those steps, perfect level will be thrown off if the tripod moves even a bit.

If you will be changing your position often — usually to stay right on sun angle, for example 🙂 — you might opt to center the bubble in the scribed circle each time, or you might simply loosen the Silver Bullet Knob, loosen the tripod collar, and rotate the lens in the tripod collar as you work. That will be your call. If you anticipate your subjects moving from side to side you might wish to center the bubble each time so that you can take advantage of the always-true-level feature. Wish practice, this can be done in a matter of seconds at most.

If you are working on a relatively flat surface such as a boardwalk for example, you might take a moment to center the bubble on the tripod itself in the scribed circle on the tripod plate (by adjusting the leg length) and then centering the the bubble in the scribed circle on the FlexShooter Pro. That way, whenever and wherever you put your rig down, you will be pretty darned close to true level.

When working in the field with a big lens and a FlexShooter Pro, you will quickly come to realize that the Silver Bullet Knob is your best friend as you can use it to lock the head when you move and to adjust the tension in fine increments depending on your needs and your personal taste.

Stuff

You can order your FlexShooter Pro from the BAA Online Store right now for $599.00 plus the shipping by clicking here, or by phone at 863-692-0906. We started with twenty units and expect the rest of those to be gone quickly as we have sold four already by word of mouth …

Note that the BIRDS AS ART FlexShooter item prices across the board are a bit less than the European prices (converted from USD to Euros).

Overseas Orders

Overseas folks (especially Europeans) who wish to have their heads and other FlexShooter product shipped from Hungary are asked — with thanks — to click here.

Bigfoot

When I first set up my FlexShooter Pro I was surprised to note the 4th Generation low foot that I have on my Nikon 600mm f/4 VR lens was not long enough to balance the lens atop the head. FlexShooter makes seven different long lens feet for most name brand super-telephoto lenses that are currently in use. We have placed an order for those and anticipate having them in stock within ten days. They will sell for $99 US plus shipping. At present, we are accepting phone orders only: 863-692-0906. I am looking forward to getting the BIGFOOT FCN-20 for my Nikon 600.

To enquire about the correct Bigfoot for your big lens, please contact me via e-mail.

In stock right now I have one FLC15 for the Canon 500mm f/4L IS II lens and an FLC-100 for the Canon 400mm f/2.8L IS II, the Canon 600mm f/4L IS II & III, and the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS. This one also work for the first generation Canon 400mm f/2.8L IS and the the first generation Canon 600mm f/4L IS. At present, we are accepting phone orders only for these items: 863-692-0906.

The TwinShooter in Action

The TwinShooter

If you work in a situation where you are seated in a blind, under cover, or somewhere in the field where you need two tripod-mounted lenses side by side, always level, and instantly available, then the TwinShooter was made for you (but alas, not for me). 🙂

TwinShooter Product Shot

TwinShooter Product Shot

The TwinShooter sells for $209.00 US plus shipping. We have one in stock. At present, we are accepting phone orders only: 863-692-0906.

The FlexShooter Extreme

The FlexShooter Extreme

The FlexShooter Extreme is a FlexShooter Pro on steroids. It is of course larger and weighs in at 2 pounds, 9 ounces. If you are a rigidity-freak, or if you want the maximum stability when using a TwinShooter, you would like fall in love with the FlexShooter Extreme.

This item sells for $699.00 US plus shipping. We have one in stock. At present, we are accepting phone orders only: 863-692-0906.

Stuff

With no takers for the Saturday Gatorland In-the-Field Session, I opted to sleep in. So I woke at 4:50am and continued working on this blog post; I had started it last night. Just after sunrise I went into Jim’s BAA butterfly garden to photograph some wildflowers with the Sigma APO Macro 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM lens for Nikon F on a tripod. I had tried yesterday hand held but wanted to see if I could do better with the lens on a tripod. I think that I did. I used the Flexshooter head for macro for the first time; it was amazing. Zero bullhead creep for macro (and for scenic) photography is a Godsend. Photos soon.

Then I went down to the lake and enjoyed an amazing hour. It started with a stretching/flapping crane colt and ended with some pretty spiffy Cattle Egrets enjoying a huge mayfly-hatch breakfast. I was back in the office to continue working on this blog post and hope to publish it at about 10 eastern time. Again I used the Flexshooter head on the tripod — yes it can be done! — from inside the vehicle with great success. Each day I learn more about this great new head. I will be sharing my findings with you here soon. Stretching crane colt and Cattle Egret photos soon.

Gatorland In-the-Field Session: Sunday 28 APR, 2019

Join me at Gatorland tomorrow and learn a ton. Right now is prime time for Cattle Egrets in breeding plumage. Check out Joe Przybyla’s killer Cattle Egret image from last week in his BPN post here. In addition, there will be some good opps with Great Egret chicks. Most folks who visit Gatorland simply have no clue. Join me to learn to see the shot at the easily accessible rookeries. An intermediate telephoto lens is all that you will need. Learn to think and see like a pro. Sunday’s weather looks very good. Contact me via e-mail or call me on my cell at 863-221-2372.

Morning Session — 7-10am: $200.00
Morning Session with a 90-minute working lunch including image review and Photoshop: $300.00.

BIRDS AS ART

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

Lessons From the Field/BIRDS AS ART Style is a 1 hour, 15 minute, 314 image, click and play MP4 video

Lessons From the Field/BIRDS AS ART Style: $10.00

Click here to order or see the Save $10 Bundle offer below.

Lessons From the Field/BIRDS AS ART Style is a 1 hour, 15 minute click and play MP4 video. It is available here in the BAA Online Store, by phone order, or by sending a Paypal for $10.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net. As the file is a large one, be sure to upload it when you have a good internet connection.

The video features 314 of artie’s best images, educational and otherwise. Based on his 35 years of in-the-field experience, it covers all the basics along with many fine points. Are you making mistakes that give you no chance to create a great image? Learning to avoid those and learning to think like a pro will make you a better photographer. If you purchase and study the video, it will surely prove to be the best ten dollars you’ve ever spent on photography.

Save Ten Bucks!

Order the Lessons From the Field MP4 video and add a copy of the birds as art: The Avian Photography of Arthur Morris/The Top 100 (via convenient download — normally sells for $20.00) for an additional 10.00.

Order the bundle for $20.00 by clicking here.

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 taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.

Booking.Com

Many IPT folks have been using the Booking.Com link below to get great rates and save a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.

Airbnb

I have been using AirBNB for all of my travel lodging needs. Everyone on the Fort DeSoto IPT is staying at an AirBNB property in Gulfport. Airbnb lists more than 4.5 million homes across 200 countries; you’ll find spacious, affordable options for every occasion. With Airbnb you will travel with confidence as reviews from past guests help you find the right fit. Once you do, their secure messaging makes it easy to coordinate with your host. And Airbnb support teams are available 24/7. And this morning, I made a 17-day reservation for an Airbnb condo for San Diego, 2020. I am staying with Rick again: his place has lots of room, a full kitchen, two bedrooms, and great WiFi. All for a lot less than the price of a chain hotel.

Yikes. I almost forgot the best part: Airbnb rates average less than half of even the least expensive chain hotels and motels. If you would like to save $40 on your first booking sign up by using this link: Airbnb. Airbnb does charge clean-up and service fees that make short stays less attractive bargains than long stays.

Those who prefer to stay in a motel or hotel are invited to use the Booking.com link above to save $25.00.

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 April 19, 2019, DAY TWO of the DeSoto Spring IPT. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and my souped-up Nikon D850. ISO 800 (I was set up for flight…) Matrix metering plus about 2/3 stop: 1/2500 sec. at f/6.3 was perfect. AUTO1 WB at 8:30am with some very light clouds in front of the sun. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +3. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Center Group (grp) AF/Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) was active at the moment of exposure. See the Nikon Capture NX-D screen capture below to learn a ton. Image #1: Marbled Godwit in surf Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Life-changing Lens

As you learned the other day, I never once took the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens out of my Sequoia during the Fort DeSoto Spring IPT. I used the 500mm PF 90% of the time (adding the TC-E14 only rarely) and my SONY gear on occasion.

The larger of the two Nikon PF lenses gives me 500mm of reach (10X) albeit with the loss of a single stop of light as compared to the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR lens. Few folks are able to hand hold the 500 f/4 for extended periods of time but hand holding the 500 PF is a sweet dream as the lens weighs only 3.21 pounds as compared to 6.81 pounds for the 500 f/4 VR.

Furthermore, I remove the lens foot when hand holding the 500 PF. With my back-up D850 the rig weighs in at a shade under 5 1/2 pounds. This makes it imminently hand holdable for most folks (including me). With its small size and light weight you can move about in the field much more freely than when using a tripod-mounted f/4 super-telephoto lens. It is much easier to get down on the ground when hand holding as there is no need to adjust the length of the tripod legs. When sitting I use the knee-pod technique. When lying flat, I can raise or lower the lens and inch or two here and there as needed — it is pretty much impossible to do that when working off the tripod with the legs splayed. When you get low with a tripod-mounted super-telephoto lens it is a cumbersome task to move closer to the bird and your efforts to do so will often flush the subjects. Handholding the 500 PF, getting low, and moving slowly has enabled me to get much closer to my beloved shorebirds than when working on a tripod with a big lens.

And as you have seen here often over the past year plus, the 500 PF is a deadly flight lens.

This image was created on April 19, 2019, DAY TWO of the DeSoto Spring IPT. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens with the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and my souped-up Nikon D850. ISO 800 (I was set up for flight…) Matrix metering plus about 2/3 stop: 1/2500 sec. at f/6.3 was perfect. AUTO1 WB at 8:30am with some very light clouds in front of the sun. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +2. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Center Group (grp) AF/Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) was active at the moment of exposure. The array was on the side of the bird just forward of center. As this is a small crop, the bird was smaller in the original frame than the godwit above so there was enough depth of field to cover the bird’s head and face. That said, in an ideal world I would have centered the array on the bird’s upper breast, neck, or face. Image #2: Red Knot in surf Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Adding the TC-E14 to the 500 PF

Adding the the TC-E14 to the mix is effective and gives you 40% more reach (700mm as compared to 500mm) but can be a bit challenging as with he Nikon system there are times when the system struggles to focus (at f/8) especially if you move the selected AF point away from the center. A huge advantage goes to Canon in this area (and to SONY as well, at least with the a9). I did wind up getting close enough to the flock of knots so that I was able to remove the TC-E.

Note that this bird is molting into breeding plumage. When it is finished, the upperparts will be spangled with silver, black, white, and orange feathers. I am hoping to find a few on the 2019 Fort DeSoto Short-Notice Sandbar Secrets IPT. Also possible in spectacular breeding plumage on this trip will be Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, and (rarely) Black-bellied Plover. See below for the details.

This image was also created on April 19, 2019, DAY TWO of the DeSoto Spring IPT. Again I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and my souped-up Nikon D850. ISO 800 (I was set up for flight…) Matrix metering plus about 2/3 stop: 1/1250 sec. at f/6 was perfect. AUTO1 WB at 12:52pm on a hazy day. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +3. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Center Group (grp) AF/Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) was active at the moment of exposure. See the Nikon Capture NX-D screen capture below to learn a ton. Image #3: Sunshine Skyway Bridge Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

The 500 PF for Architectural Photography

I have long admired the beauty (and the history) of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. I have tried and failed to make a decent image for several years. I finally succeeded on the IPT photographing the span from my favorite out-of-the-park location. We visited twice on the IPT and enjoyed some great flight photography. This image was made at the very end of the longest ever BAA IPT morning photo session: 6 1/2 hours. Conditions were good and a horrific storm was coming. The rain began on our way home and peaked with 50+ mph winds and torrential rains. We did a long Photoshop session that afternoon and followed that with the first-ever BAA Barbecue. A great time was had by all.

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge from Wikipedia

The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge, often referred to as the Sunshine Skyway Bridge or simply the Skyway, is a cable-stayed bridge spanning the Lower Tampa Bay connecting St. Petersburg, Florida to Terra Ceia. The current Sunshine Skyway opened in 1987 and is the second bridge of that name on the site. It was designed by the Figg & Muller Engineering Group and built by the American Bridge Company and is considered a symbol of Florida. The four-lane bridge carries Interstate 275 and U.S. Route 19 traffic passing through Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, and Manatee County.

The original bridge opened in 1954 and was the site of two major maritime disasters within a few months in 1980. In January 1980, the United States Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn collided with the tanker Capricorn near the bridge, resulting in the sinking of the cutter and the loss of 23 crew members. In May 1980, the freighter MV Summit Venture collided with a bridge support during a sudden squall, resulting in the structural collapse of the southbound span and the deaths of 35 people when vehicles plunged into Tampa Bay. Within a few years, the damaged span was demolished, the surviving span was partially demolished and converted into a long fishing pier, and the current bridge was built.

Learn more of the bridge’s amazing history in the Wikipedia article herehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_Skyway_Bridge.

Comparing Apples and Oranges …

Which of today’s featured images is your favorite, the godwit, the knot, or the bridge. I have a clear favorite and will share it with you here soon.

Nikon Capture NX-D Screen Capture

A Vitally Important AF Technique

I mention this concept very often here on the blog: if there is no AF point available to get an AF point on the bird’s face as happens often with relatively large-in-the-frame subjects such as the Marbled Godwit in Image #1, place the selected AF point somewhere on the bird that is on the same plane as the bird’s eye or face. Furthermore, even when you can get an Af point on the bird’s head or face the head or face is often moving and holding acquiring and holding focus on a small part of the subject that is constantly moving is usually difficult to impossible.

In the Nikon Capture NX-D screen capture above, note that I placed the array on the side of the bird’s upper breast near the base of the neck, right on the same place as the bird’s face and eye. There is no AF point that could have been placed on the bird’s face as AF coverage in the frame is limited with Canon and Nikon. Note that with SONY you have coverage over 93% of the frame. If I had chosen the top center array and centered it on the bird’s face, I would have cut off its legs.

The Lesson

When it is difficult or impossible to get an AF point on the bird’s face or eye, place the selected AF point somewhere on the bird’s body that is on the same plane as the eye, face, or head.

I once did a whole blog post on this subject. If you can find it please share a link with us by leaving a comment.

Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, many in full breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left around to center: Laughing Gull landing on head of Brown Pelican, Laughing Gull in flight, Reddish Egret sunrise silhouette, Great Blue Heron with needlefish, Yellow-crowned Night Heron with ghost crab, Roseate Spoonbill, Sanderling in breeding plumage, and white morph Reddish Egret in glorious breeding plumage.

The 2019 Fort DeSoto Short-Notice Sandbar Secrets IPT/Sunday May 5 through the morning session on Wednesday May 8, 2019: 3 1/2 DAYS: $1649. Limit 4/Openings: 4. Meet and greet at 7PM on the evening of Saturday May 4.

I will run this with a single registrant. Airport pick-up might be available as is riding with the leader. Combine those to avoid having to rent a car.

Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for a great variety of migrant shorebirds, gulls, terns, and passerines in Spring. Many of the gulls and terns will be courting and copulating. There the migrants join hundreds of Florida resident egrets, herons, night-herons, and pelicans on the T-shaped peninsula. We should get to photograph one of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and many of those will be in their spectacular breeding plumages. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron is a strong possibility. We may get to see and photograph the amazing heron/egret hybrid that has been present for three years. And we should enjoy some great 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. Yikes, I almost forgot to mention that nearly all of the birds are ridiculously tame!

Yes, Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left around to center: breeding plumage Dunlin, dark morph Reddish Egret displaying, Laughing Gull vertical front-end portrait, Laughing Gull with prey item, landing on head of Brown Pelican, breeding plumage Royal Tern displaying, Royal Terns — pre-copulatory stance, Laughing Gulls copulating, Laughing Gull head portrait, breeding plumage Sandwich Tern with fish, and a rare treat, a breeding plumage White-rumped Sandpiper.

Just some of the stuff you will learn …

On the IPT you will learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. 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).

Again, Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left around to center: Laughing Gull in flight, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Sandwich Terns copulating, Roseate Spoonbill, Great Egret with reflection, breeding plumage Short-billed Dowitcher, American Oystercatcher, Royal Tern, white morph Reddish Egret, and Snowy Egret in marsh.

What we do

There will be seven shooting sessions in all: four 3+ hours morning session and three 2 1/2 hour afternoon sessions. There will be Photoshop/image review/critiquing sessions during lunch (lunch is included) on each of the three full days. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.

The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with the hotel/lodging information. Airport pick-up might be available as is riding with the leader. Combine those to avoid having to rent a car.

You got it, Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left around to center: Roseate Spoonbill, immature Brown Pelican in flight, the heron/egret hybrid, American Oystercatcher feeding, immature Royal Tern on railing, Great Egret morning silhouette, Black Skimmer in surf, and underside head portrait of Great Blue Heron.

Signing Up

A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with four folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please remember that the meet and greet will take place on the evening of Saturday May 4. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

Early and Late

Getting up early and staying out late is pretty much a staple on all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours; on this particular trip we will get lots of sleep as the days are short. Being in the field well before the sun comes up and staying out until sunset will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest. 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 arrive.

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 New 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 :).