Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

What’s Up?

Me. Early. Very early on Thursday June 6. I fly to Toronto at 7:00am today. After a nearly five-hour layover, I continue on to Thunder Bay, Ontario (YQT) and then finally and hopefully board the one hour flight to Dryden (YHD). I am scheduled to arrive at 5:10am Central time. Total time in the air will be less than six hours but this will be a very long travel day. I should have good internet every day and will be back in the office on June 18. Jim and Jen will be around for those who need help with their orders or with IPT deposits.

My Active Release Therapy chiropractor TJ McKeon, told me about a nice Northern Mockingbird nest in his neighbor’s azalea bush. While I rarely if ever photograph songbird nests, I did visit twice. For close work, the SONY rig is unmatched. Photos soon.

Bad Luck and Trouble

Bad Luck and Trouble is the eleventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in 2007 and is written in the third person. The title is derived from the song lyrics by singer Albert King “Born Under a Bad Sign”. As I have long been a huge Jack Reacher fan, I thought that the book title would make a good title for today’s blog post.

Do understand that when the tiny meteorite struck, it had been a very long time since I pointed a long lens at the sun … As you will learn below, the accident was a total fluke. The lens was repaired quickly by NPS and has been back in action for a while.

My Final Offer: Huge Late-registration UK Puffins, Gannets, and Red Kites Instructional Photo-Tour Discount Increased Again!

The late-registration discount has been increased to $4,000.00.

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

In an effort to fill a single remaining slot, I have increased the late-registration discount for this great IPT from $3,000.00 to $4000.00. Click here and scroll down a bit for complete details. Please e-mail for additional information.

BIRDS AS ART

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

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

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

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

Very Recent Sales

After being patient for many months, Allen Dale sold his Canon 300mm f/4 L IS USM lens in near-mint for a BAA record-low $624.00 in early June, 2019.

Peter Noyes sold his Sony Alpha a9 (ILCE 9) Mirrorless Digital Camera Body in like-new condition for the crazy low price of $2698.00 the first day of listing.

Eric Chen sold his Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM with internal Extender 1.4X lens in like-new condition for the BAA record-low price by far of $6999.00 within days of listing.

Top BAA Used Gear page seller Jim Keener sold his Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 IS L II lens in excellent plus condition for $899.00 and the Canon 1.4X III/2X III/Extension Tube Bundle for $598.00 both shortly after these items were listed in May 2019.

New Listings

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

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

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

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

Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens

Sheldon Goldstein, multiple IPT participant, is offering a Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens in like-new condition, for $750.00. The sale includes a Wimberley P-30 mount, the lens cap, the rear cap, the protective case, and insured Fed-Ex Ground shipping to lower 48 US addresses. Your lens will ship after your check clears unless another payment method is used.

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

I put the 400 f/5.6 lens on the map back in the mid-1990s. I affectionately called it my “toy lens.” It is lightweight and super sharp. I created many 100s of saleable images with it including my best early flight shots. I used it on a tripod to create Blizzard in Blue. With Fuji Veliva 50 pushed one stop to ISO 100. 🙂 . artie

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

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

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

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

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 also created on my pool deck on May 2, 2019. I used the Induro GIT 304L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sigma APO Macro 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM lens for Nikon F and my back-up Nikon D850 . ISO 800. Matrix metering at about 1 2/3 stop: 1/8 sec. at f/16 in Manual mode. Full frame image of the damaged D850 mirror assembly

Bad Luck and Trouble …

I love using long lenses and teleconverters to photograph the sun as long as it is muted by light clouds or mist or fog. I have heeded the warnings and not pointed my rig directly at the shining brightly sun. When the accident described below happened, I could not remember the last time that I created a large-in-the-frame sun.

At some point about six weeks ago, down by the lake near my home, I noticed a small black blob along the lower part of the frame as I looked through the viewfinder. My first thought was to check an image. As the blob was not present in any images, I knew that the problem had something to do with the mirror assembly. I removed the lens and saw a decent-sized smudge on the mirror and a tiny black circular blob that seemed to be stuck to the edge of the mirror.

When I got back home I took a look at the mirror box (after removing the lens and the front body cap of course). It looked as if perhaps there was a dead bug stuck to the edge of the mirror. I got a pair of tweezers and attempted to remove the “dead bug” only to find that it was something solid that was very solidly attached to the edge of the mirror. I was unable to remove it. Perhaps it was a screw?

I grabbed my Sigma APO Macro 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Lens for Nikon F, added my remaining D850, and mounted the rig on the FlexShooter Pro. I framed up a tight image of the mirror box (above) and created a few images at f/16.

This image was also created on my pool deck on May 2, 2019. I used the Induro GIT 304L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sigma APO Macro 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM lens for Nikon F and my back-up Nikon D850 . ISO 800. Matrix metering at about 1 2/3 stop: 1/8 sec. at f/16 in Manual mode. Enlarged image of the damaged D850 mirror showing the fused blob

When I viewed an enlarged image (immediately above) I was stunned. It looked as if a tiny meteorite had struck the mirror at high speed, left burn marks in its track (the aforementioned smudge), and then melded itself to the edge of the mirror. As it looked as if there was something metal fused to the edge of the mirror I immediately thought of something molten … I thought it possible that the sun had caused the damage, but again, I knew that I had never pointed my Nikon 600 at the sun in ages. At least intentionally …

I sent the photos here to Patrick who replied, That is definitely sun damage. Only the sun concentrated rays of the sun could melt the inside of a camera body.

I then came to the realization that at some point I had left my lens unattended on the tripod with the lens inadvertently pointed at the sun for at least a few minutes. Note the slight arc to the smudge; that was somehow caused as the sun followed its curved path through the sky …

The Lesson

Be Careful Out There

Remember. Be careful out there. That was the trademark phrase of Sergeant Phil Esterhaus (played by Michael Conrad — 1925–1983) that was in the opening of each episode of Hill Street Blues. The repairs for my sun-damaged D850 cost me about $325.

You can bet your bottom dollar that for at least the next thirty years I will remember to point my lens down and away from the sun when I take a break in the field …

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II). You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a Paypal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)

You will find roughly one zillion great Photoshop tips — including all of my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. While the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow, folks using a PC and/or BreezeBrowser will also benefit greatly by studying the material on DB II. Do note that you will find the RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing tutorial only in the new e-guide. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

The two most recent and many of the older MP4 Photoshop Tutorial videos releases go hand and hand with the information in DB II): Note: all of the videos are now priced at an amazingly low $5.00 each.

• The Wingtip Repairs MP4 Video here.
• The MP4 Crow Cleanup Video here.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here.

Though I have become more proficient converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw, I continue to optimize my old Canon images in DPP 4. You can learn how and why I converted (and still convert) nearly all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. And, yes, I still have many Canon images to work on. 🙂 RAW conversions with DPP 4 are straightforward once you enter the camera/ISO specific recipes (as detailed in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide). After using ACR to convert my Nikon (and more recently, my SONY) image for more than a year, I have begun converting all of my SONY and Nikon RAW files in Capture One Pro 12.

You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II and save $15 by purchasing the pair.

Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and NeatImage Noise Reduction techniques in The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly. Please use this link to purchase NeatImage.

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?

We’ve sold 36 of the 40 FlexShooter Pro heads that we have received, all to positive reviews. We should be getting another shipment next week.

I am tidying up some loose ends while getting ready for my primarily fishing trip to Northern Ontario. I am bringing lots of photo gear. I fly on June 6th and will be back in the office on June 18th.

If you missed the wonderful collection of macro images by BPN’s Ravi Hirekatur along with his inspiring life story in yesterday’s blog post, you may wish to check it out here.

My Final Offer: Huge Late-registration UK Puffins, Gannets, and Red Kites Instructional Photo-Tour Discount Increased Again!

The late-registration discount has been increased to $4,000.00.

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

In an effort to fill a single remaining slot, I have increased the the late-registration discount for this great IPT from $3,000.00 to $4000..00. Scroll down for trip details. Please e-mail for additional information.

This image was created on the morning of April 26, 2019 in my backyard. I used the hand held Sigma APO 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro lens for Nikon F with my backup mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR. ISO 800. Matrix metering at about +1/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/5 in Manual mode was perfect with the histogram pushed all the way to the right. AUTO1 WB at 7:44am on a still, cloudy morning. A single AF point four or five down from center Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The point was placed on the center of the lower flower. Image #1: sunflower (?) juxtaposition

My Favorite

In the The Perfect Compromise: 100 + 180 = 280 ÷ 2 = 150??? blog post here, I asked which of the two image was your favorite. Though I really like both of the images, it was a vry close call but I must go with Image #1, the juxtaposition image. If the background had been uniformly green, my choice would have been easier.

This image was created on the morning of April 27, 2019 in my backyard. I used the Induro GIT 304L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sigma APO 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro lens for Nikon F with my backup mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR. ISO 800. Matrix metering at about +1/3 stop: 1/25 sec. at f/16 in Manual mode was perfect with the histogram pushed all the way to the right. AUTO1 WB at 7:48am on a still, cloudy morning. A single AF point one up and one to the right of center Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The point was placed just to our left of the center of the flower. Image #2: sunflower (?) single blossom Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

The Correct Identification

Thanks to long-ago IPT veteran Myer Bornstein of Boston who suggested that I post the image to the Plant Identification group page on Facebook.. I did join, but never got as far as posting an image because I messaged Ethan Dropkin (from the same site) as he was obviously an expert. In short order he graciously replied, It is the yellow form of Gaillardia pulchella, Blanketflower, native to north and central Florida.

Note: BAA butterfly gardener, my right-hand man Jim Litzenberg, had the ID correct from the get-go.

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

The late-registration discount has been increased to $3,500.00.

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?

It was a bit cloudy today — Friday May 31, 2019 — right at sunrise so I set up the car in the driveway with my i-Phone on the tripod in the holder that I learned about in Dr. Cliff Oliver’s great iPhone Photography e-Guide . Then I grabbed Jim before his morning walk and working together, we created the Setting Up the Tripod in the Car mp4 video. It will be free to those who have purchased a FlexShooter Pro from us, $10 for the rest of the gang. No refunds; you gotta buy the tripod head first to get it free. 🙂 What you learn will enable most folks to set us a tripod in their car with pretty much any old tripod head but nothing, I repeat nothing, will be as effective as the FlexShooter Pro.

There had been something interesting going on here at ILE for the past two weeks. In past years, I have seen an occassional Osprey on the ground sitting around doing nothing. Recently I have seen groups of as many as eight sitting on the grass doing nothing. The birds are very difficult to approach even when driving very slowly. With no rain in forever, the lake is very low; as a result, I have been seeing Black-necked Stilt and Black-bellied Whistling Duck. Again, photography of those species is pretty close to impossible. Morning action continues to slacken; I headed down this mornng when we finished the video and was back at work by 7:45am. :(.

On the great news front I signed up a single for the Galapagos trip; registration for that trip is now closed. I still need just one more for the UK Puffins, Gannets, and Red Kites IPT … The discount on that one is so large that I will soon be offering to pay for someone to come …

Huge Late-registration UK Puffins, Gannets, and Red Kites Instructional Photo-Tour Discount Increased!

The late-registration discount has been increased to $3,500.00.

In an effort to fill a single remaining slot, I have increased the the late-registration discount for this great IPT from $3,000 to $3500. Scroll down for trip details. Please e-mail for additional information.

FlexShooter Pro Updates

All previously back-ordered FlexShooter Pro heads have been shipped thanks again to those who trusted us and ordered by phone. The FlexShooter Pro is now in stock here in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store. We have the correct BigFoot plate available for all lenses but for the Nikon 600mm f/4 VR lens. Please place a phone order if you would like the plate to go with your new FlexShooter Pro head; they should be in the store by next week.

As most of you know, I am now using it for 100% of my tripod-mounted photogtraphy. See here and here to learn more. Or see the video here.

The other day I got my hands on the prototype for the new FLN-60 Bigfoot for the Nikon 600 VR. It is long enough to balance the 600 alone with any Nikon camera body and the best news is that the Wimberley F-1 Flash Bracket fits perfectly and mounts easily. I will post a photo here soon. We will have them in stock in about three weeks.

The Capture One Pro-12 Simplified Video Click here to order.

The Capture One Pro-12 Simplified Video

$15.00 via electronic download

When I first heard about doing RAW conversions in Capture One Pro 12 I purchased the somewhat pricey program and tried to figure it out on my own. I was totally lost. So I did some reading online and was still very confused. Then I consulted Arash Hazeghi’s comprehenisve The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide and while Arash does a great job of covering the fine points, I still had some difficulty getting started. I thought Who needs Sessions and who wants to have to Import images? So I consulted Patrick Sparkman, the BAA technical advisor. Patrick had been using C-1 Pro 12 for a while. We spent a good deal of time on FaceTime simplifying things. That video is a direct result of those conversations.

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

If you are new to Capture One Pro-12, please click here to order. Understand that C-1 Pro 12 is expensive for good reason … Are your photos worth it?

Here are some of the things you will learn in this 33+ minute video as we convert nine different RAW files (eight Nikon and one SONY) from soup to nuts, from Photo Mechanic through the RAW conversion in Capture One to Photoshop:

• 1-How to quickly and easily find your images while working in a simple file folder format.
• 2-How to customize your Exposure and Details tabs to streamline your workflow.
• 3-How to set the White and Black points using Levels.
• 4-How to adjust set the values for the relevant sliders including Exposure, White Balance, High Dynamic Range (the Highlight and Shadow sliders), and Clarity and Structure.
• 5-How to work at 100 or 200% and fine tune your settings for Noise Reduction and Sharpness.
• 6-How to work with the Color Editor

If you are trying to get a handle on how to use this great RAW conversion engine for your Nikon and SONY images, this video is just what you have been looking for. It is meant to serve as an adjunct to Arash’s comprehensive The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide. For Canon shooters, Arash and I both recommend using DPP 4.

ps: learn how I saved today’s’ featured image in Capture One by reading the rest of this blog post.

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. Most recently the price of used Canon 600mm f/L IS II lenses have been dropping like a rock with the introduction of the 600 III. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

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

New Listings

Sony Alpha a9 (ILCE 9) Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

Peter Noyes is offering a Sony Alpha a9 (ILCE 9) Mirrorless Digital Camera Body in like-new condition for the crazy low price of $2698.00. The sale includes the original box and everything that came in it along with insured ground shipping via major courier to US lower 48 addresses only. Your item will not ship until your ceck clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Peter via e-mail or by phone at 1-(567) 356-0878 (eastern time).

The a9 is a superb 24.2MP full-frame mirroless digital camera body that is perfect for sports and for birds in action or in flight. It is capable of shooting at up to 20 fps (15 fps with AF-C),, The 693-point phase-detection autofocus system covers 93% of the image area for accurate and quick subject tracking in a variety of lighting conditions. The a9 also sports 5-axis SteadyShot INSIDE image stabilization to minimize the appearance of camera shake when shooting handheld especially with telephoto lenses. As the a9 currently sells new for $3,498.00 you can grab Peter’s pretty much new a9 and save a cool $800.00.. artie

Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens

Sandra Calderbank is offering a Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for the BAA record low by $1,000 price of $5999.00. The sale includes the original box and everything that came in it including the rear lens cap, the lens trunk, the original tough front lens cover, and the lens strap along with a LensCoat and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Sandra via e-mail or by phone at 1-828 412 1047 (eastern time).

This fast, super-sharp, relatively lightweight (8.49 pounds) super-telephoto lens is a versatile lens for wildlife photographers, especially for those who live in the west and do large mammals in low light. And it is a hugely popular lens with sports photographers. For bird photographers working at close range at feeder set-ups will really love the 3m (9.8 feet) close focus. And best of all, it creates super-sharp images with both the 1.4X III and the 2X III Extenders. It currently sells new at B&H for $7,999. You can save $2,000 significant bucks by grabbing Sandra’s fast lens right now. artie

Re-Run with New Extras!

Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Lens with $550 of added Mega-Extras!

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, along with a Realtree Max 4 LensCoat, a LensCoat Hoodie, a RRS replacement foot, a Singh-Ray 5-stop Mor Slo Neutral Density filter (a $250+ value, great for Bosque blurs) mounted in the correct 52mm Canon Filter Drawer (filer holder– a $100+ value), a Tamrac Professional Series: Anvil Super 25 Backpack for dSLR and 600mm Lens (a $200 value) 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. And that is not counting the great extras. The lighter 600 III goes for $12,999.00! artie

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.

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.

Nikon Capture NX-D full frame original screen capture of Black Vulture landing showing AF points

Nikon Capture NX-D Full Frame Original Screen Capture of Black Vulture landing Showing AF Points

I rarely if ever check for sharpness on the rear LCD as my close vision is NTG and I don’t usually wear my reading glasses in the field. In addition, I simply cannot judge the sharpness very well on the back of the camera. I was thrilled when I viewed this image full frame on the back of the camera. The Group array was nicely positioned as you can see in the screen capture above. When shooting flight with Nikon unsharp images are very rare so I was pretty sure that this one would be fine …

Photo Mechanic screen capture of the bird’s head at 100% Can you say “fuzzy”?

Photo Mechanic screen capture of the bird’s head at 100%

I wasn’t really shocked when I viewed the image at 100% in Photo Mechanic because it did not look sharp on the face even before I hit Z (to enlarge to 100%). Perhaps the focus was a bit past the vulture’s face and eye, but I think that the unsharpness might have been the result of motion blur; when I get excited shooting flight I often jerk the lens to get the framing that I want rather than panning smoothly as I should. In any case, though the face was not critcally sharp, I knew that I wanted to try to save the image because I loved the feet-out landing pose, the killer braking wing position, and the placement of the bird in the frame in relation to the background.

Note: This bird and many other vultures (both blacks and turkeys) were attracted to a pile of Red Snapper heads courtesy of Junior’s Fish Market on SR 60 in Lake Wales; thanks Mike!

This is a 100% crop showing the markedly improved sharpness of the bird’s head

The Save!

When making the transition from ACR conversions to Capture One Pro 12 conversions (to enjoy superior image quality) I studied Arash Hazeghi’s comprehensive The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide extensively. I remembered reading this:

Again, please note that it is very difficult, if not impossible to salvage images that are soft due to misfocus, motion blur, atmospheric distortion (such as heat shimmers, dust etc.) or very poor optics. Applying more sharpening to such images will only increase the noise and artifacts. I immediately delete such files after downloading them. Only images that are very slightly soft can be corrected by applying more sharpening. For such images, I recommend to first use the clarity and structure settings as explained earlier, and then adjust sharpness parameters using visual feedback.

From where I sit, very difficult, if not impossible translates to sometimes do-able . Using the Capture One Navigator and working at 200% I set both Clarity and Structure to 50 and raised the Sharpness value to 200 and noted some nice improvement. Once I had the converted image in Photoshop I selectively sharpened the head with a Contrast Mask and did some Eye Doctor work that resulted in additional improvement. Note: Both of those tehcniques are just two of the many, many dozens of great post-processing techniques and tips that are detailed in The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II).

Note: though Arash’s The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide includes Noise Reduction and Sharpness tables for current Nikon bodies, I have had great success using C-1 Pro 12 with my Sony RAW files. The program recognized both a9 and a7R iii images and the defualt settings are pretty effective. Better yet, the guide teaches you to work at 100% while fine-tuning the Noise Reduction and Sharpness values visually for each image.

If you are new to Capture One, please use this link to purchase.

This image was created down by the lake by my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL on May 18, 2019. 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. Matrix metering as framed at about +1 1/3 stops (+2 stops off the low blue sky): 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode was, as you can see by the histogram below, was perfect. AUTO1 WB at 8:09am on a sunny but slightly hazy morning. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +4. 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 above to see the position of the array. Black Vulture landing/the optimized version Click on the image to enjoy a large version.

Black Vulture landing/the optimized version

While the final result would not likely not thrill Arash, I was and am quite happy with the optmized version above. It is perfect for web presentation and I am pretty sure that it would make a nice 16X24′ print.

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

The late-registration discount has been increased to $3,500.00.

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

Just the usual. Gorgeous day after goregous day with fewer and fewer morning photo opps despite perfect sky conditions and southeast winds. And long afternoon swims. I finished editing Andrew McLachlan’s Focus on Frogs e-Book last week and am waiting for him to return the final edit. After mnay months of work, Joe Przybyla and I are finished with The BIRDS AS ART Middle of Florida Photography Site Guide. As soon as I get the final edit to and then back from Joe, I will make the PDF and get this great new work into the BIRDS AS ART Online Store. This lavishly illustrated guide details a number of little-known hotspots that can be quite productive. One of those little-known hotspots is Indian Lake Estates. The guide should be available for purchase in about a week.

Thanks to the many who have commented on the four final images in the 2018 B&H/BAA Bird Photography Holiday Contest. I will be tallying the results and awarding the prizes this week. If you would like to be heard click here and enjoy some great photography.

Please remember that using a BIRDS AS ART B&H affiliate link or the Bedford’s discount code (BIRDS AS ART) will not cost you a single cent and is a great way to
thank me for the hours that I put into the blog and time spent answering your e-mails. As always (and as below), feel free to write with gear questions when you are in need of advice.

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.

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.

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 on the late afternoono of Saturday, May 26 2019 down by the lake near my home. Working while seated in the front seat of my SUV, 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 +1 stop: 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode left the image overall dark despite the fact that the RED channel was toasted. AUTO1 WB at 8:06pm on a somewhat hazy evening (nine minutes before sunset). A somewhat muted sun was just out of frame right. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: a very significant +9. 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 on the bird’s rear flank as originally framed. Osprey landing/sunset silhouette Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

More Smart or More Lucky?

Even though I had gotten into the pool fairly late in the afternoon, I had been planning to drive around Lake Walk-in-Water and explore the other side of the lake for afternoon bird photography oportunities (with the afternoon sun behind me). After I exited the pool and got dried off I still had more than enough time go exploring but thought that I’d best check the wind direction. Oops! 13mph from the northeast. Experienced bird photographers know that the last thing you want on a sunny afternoon is a northeast wind. With the sun setting in the southwest all the birds will be flying, landing, and facing away from you when you are on sun angle, that is, with the sun coming over the top of your heard.

Most folks do not realize that the worst wind for traditional front-lit bird photography is the best wind for doing silhouettes. Why? Looking right at the sunset (or the sunrise as well), the bird will be flying, landing, and facing toward you with the colorlful sky (if there is one) right behind them. So rather than drive 30 minutes toward poor conditions I took my time and headed down to the lake at 7:50pm.

As I approached my favorite perch, I saw that there was an Osprey on it (as had been the case each morning for the past two weeks). I set up the tripod in the front seat, leveled the FlexShooter Pro, and then approached slowly staying well back. The bird flew. I gave it a few minutes but impatient for action I drove a short ways to check out some cranes courting on a hill near the parking circle. That did not pan out so I looked back at the perch and saw that it was occupied again. I got back into position trying to line up my SUV with the brightest sky color. I shut off the engine and made two frames when the bird took flight again. It was now about 8:00pm so I decided to sit tight and wait for a bird to land. I was focused on the perch adjusting my exposure when suddenly the viewfinder was filled with a landing Osprey. The bird had flown in from the north and hung a quick u-turn to land into the wind. Totally surprised I followed my own oft-given advice: When unexpected action occurs, push the shutter button.

I created about 8 frames as the bird struggled to get its balance on the perch. A quick peek revealed what looked like some pretty decent images — the first one with the wings fully out-stretched looked fantastic. After re-positioning the vehicle, I tried a few more with both the bird and the sun in the frame but the sun was still much too bright for that. In moments, it had disappeared behind the far shore of the lake and I headed home.

The first few images including the one that I was sure was spectacular were no good. The bird had landed with its head down; silhouettes of head-less birds are rarely if ever successful. Today’s featured image, the fifth in the series, was the best of the lot with the head clear of the body and some nice light coming through the primaries. This image was converted in Capture One Pro 12 where I lightened the sky and blacked-up the Osprey a bit. I began experiemnting with the Color Editor and it turned out to be easier and more intuitive than I had at first glance. It is actually quite similar to the HSL (Hue-Saturation-Luminance) tab in ACR but in a completely different format.

In short, I was glad that I thought to check the wind direction and even gladder that I got lucky with the somewhat unexpected landing.

Bugged?

There is one thing about this image that bugs me. If there is something that bugs you, please do share by leaving a comment.

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?

Things having been going downhill slowly since my recent great mornings down by the lake. This morning was poor despite the perfect weather and winds from the east. But I did learn something huge about my SONY a7R iii! And there is always tomorrow. The weather has actually been lovely here for more than a week and I have been swimming my slow 3/4 mile every afternoon. This morning — Thursday, May 23, 2019 I will be doing some focus fine-tuning with the D850 that was repaired recently.

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 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.

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.

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. Most recently the price of used Canon 600mm f/L IS II lenses have been dropping like a rock with the introduction of the 600 III. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

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

Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM 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 youyr 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

Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM with internal Extender 1.4X Lens

Eric Chen is also offering a Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM with internal Extender 1.4X lens in like-new condition for the BAA record-low price by far of $6999.00. The sale includes everything that came in the orignal box including teh lens trunk, the lens strap, the front lens cover, the warranty card, a Snowtree LensCoat, a RRS replacement foot, a LensCoat Hoodie, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower 48 US addresses only. Your lens will not ship until youyr check clears unless another payment method is used.

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

This is the world’s best lens for a trip to Africa. It kills also in the Galapagos and in South Georgia, the Falklands, and Antarctica. I used mine a lot at Bosque and other dusty places where the built-in TC helps to keep your sensor clean. And I loved it in the Palouse for its versatility. Most recently, I often found myself wishing that I had taken the 200-400 rather than my 500 II on the Bear Boat Cubs IPT. Many nature photographers use it as their workhorse telephoto lens as it offers 784mm at f/8 with an external 1.4X TC added. The lens sells new at B&H right now for $10,999. You can save exactly $4,000.00 of your hard-earned dollars by grabbing Eric’s lens right now. artie

This image was created on the morning of April 26, 2019 in my backyard. I used the hand held Sigma APO 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro lens for Nikon F with my backup mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR. ISO 800. Matrix metering at about +1/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/5 in Manual mode was perfect with the histogram pushed all the way to the right. AUTO1 WB at 7:44am on a still, cloudy morning. A single AF point four or five down from center Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The point was placed on the center of the lower flower. Image #1: sunflower (?) juxtaposition

The Perfect Compromise: 100 + 180 = 280 ÷ 2 = 150???

Yes, 280 divided by 2 does = 140 (not 150). But for me, 280mm divided by 2 did equal 150mm. How did I figure that out?

I have always liked to photograph flowers. When I used Canon gear, my first macro lens was the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens. I loved the reach at 3X. I always used it on a tripod. At times, I added the 1.4X teleconverter to get to 252mm. When I worked with Denise Ippolito, I marveled at her abilty to use the Canon 100mm macro lens, usually hand holding it. Heck, it does not come with a tripod collar. I wound up buying the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens. Denise eventually switched to the IS version. I used that lens both hand held and on a tripod. I did need to purchase the Canon Tripod Mount Ring D.

When I switched to Nikon I wanted to add a macro lens. I looked around and could not decide whether to buy the Nikon AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED or the Nikon AF Micro-NIKKOR 200mm f/4D IF-ED. But during my search I came across the Sigma APO 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro lens for Nikon F and went with that. It turned out to be the perfect compromise and saved me quite a few bucks as well. And yes, it is quite sharp.

For Canon users: Sigma APO Macro 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Lens for Canon EF

Hand Holding for Macro

Hand holding a macro lens offers many of the same advantages as hand holding telephoto lenses for bird photography: it is much easier to move about in the field and to position your lens perfectly. And it is a lot more fun not having to drag around a heavy tripod and a decent tripod head. You do, however, need to use a fast enough shutter speed to create sharp images and that often requires higher ISOs and the use of relatively wide apertures. For me, the biggest problem I have hand holding a macro lens is the difficulty that I have keeping the lens still. I am always moving slightly, swaying a bit if you would. And as we age this becomes more and more of a problem. It effects both framing and image sharpness. To get around those limitations I will — once I have the image design somewhat lined up — take many photos. One will always be the sharpest. 🙂

This image was created on the morning of April 27, 2019 in my backyard. I used the Induro GIT 304L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sigma APO 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro lens for Nikon F with my backup mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR. ISO 800. Matrix metering at about +1/3 stop: 1/25 sec. at f/16 in Manual mode was perfect with the histogram pushed all the way to the right. AUTO1 WB at 7:48am on a still, cloudy morning. A single AF point one up and one to the right of center Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The point was placed just to our left of the center of the flower. Image #2: sunflower (?) single blossom Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Macro on the Tripod with the FlexShooter Pro

If you take the time work on a tripod when doing macro, most folks will wind up with sharper images. And if you wish to stop down for more depth of field, being on a tripod allows you to do so while working with relatively low ISOs. The Sigma 150 macro comes with a tripod collar as standard equipment. The FlexShooter Pro is ideal for macro work as there is zero ballhead creep; you frame the images as you want either through the viewfinder or in live view with just a bit of tension set and when you tighten the Silver Bullet Knob the framing does not change. If you missed the just-released FlexShooter Pro video, click here.

Note: it is impossible to balance the Sigma 150 properly on the FlexShooter Pro if you use a D850 with the grip. That is why I use my back-up D850 for macro — no vertical grip on that one.

Why Such a Soft Out-of-Focus Background at f/16?

One would think. — as often happens with bird photography even with long lenses and relatively distant backgrounds — that working at f/16 would have brought up lots of unwanted background detail in Image #2. What are folks missing? With the lens relatively close to the flower, less than 6 inches for sure, the background at about 3 feet is relatively distant. In addition, depth-of-field is minimized the closer you are to the subject. Note that the stem of the flower, only an inch behind the blossom, is completely out-of-focus …

Notes: the flower in Image #2 is the same species as in Image #1. The blossom in Image #2 was picked from Jim’s butterfly garden (in my backyard) and positioned using a Wimberley Plamp that I keep mounted to an old tripod. I is quite a useful accessory for macro shooters.

Your Help Needed

If you can positively identify the flower, please leave a comment and let us know if it is wild or introduced. The diameter of the fully-devleoped blossom in Image #2 is about two inches.

Which do you think is the stronger image, the juxtaposition or the single blossom? Let us know why you made your choice and what you like or don’t like about each.

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.

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Typos

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

What’s Up

To think that I almost decided not to go down to the lake on Monday morning … But then I thought, “The Ospreys have been active lately and the young in one nest are just about ready for their first flight.” So I went. Wow, what a morning. There were Osprey’s flying around with fish and playing tag right at the base of the pier. Several landed right on the ground in front of me. Then I saw one land on the tall perch that Anita North and I erected more than a year ago. “I’d better check to see if it has a fish, preferably with the head still on.” So I drove the 150 yards and held the hammer down a lot more than I usually do. I was ready to head home to get some work done at about 8:00am but spotted a handsome Turkey Vulture on the ground eating a fish. A fish that had been dropped from an Osprey nest on a utility pole right next to the vulture. I stayed another 20 minutes moving my Sequioa often while working with a variety of focal lengths (840mm and 500mm) and varying my framing. Silly tame hungry birds often allow you to do that.

When the dust cleared, I was left with 53 keepers, most of the birds on the perch with the bream (say “brim.”). In addition, I learned a ton about Nikon AF and creating sharp images with the 600 VR and the TC-E14. (It’s about time don’t you think?) See below for that info. And best of all, I had a ton of exciting fun.

I am almost finished working on the Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide that I am co-writing with Joe Przybyla. And I enjoyed an easy 50-length swim in the late afternoon. It is 6:34am right now on Tuesday, May 21. I am headed for breakfast and then down to the lake. I will finish this blog post when I get back. 🙂 Pleasure before business!

This Just In

It is 8:51am and I am back to work on this blog post. The lake was not as good as yesterday for flight and action but will still pretty darned good. I had an Osprey (on the perch seen in Image #2) and when I saw movement to my left, I noticed another Osprey perched much closer on a short pech that Anita and I had also put up. I’ve had Osprey on that perch before but never for more than one second. This one let me drive around with impunity for more than an hour … Downloading now. It was a 458-image morning!

This Just Out

Me. I finished this blog post just before 9:45am. It took more than three hours in all to prepare. Be sure to put your thinking cap on and take a crack at the high level underwing detail question below.

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.

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.

Gear Questions and Advice

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

This image was created on the morning of Monday, May 21 down by the lake near my home. Working while seated in the front seat of my SUV, 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: 1/2000 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode was perfect with the histogram pushed all the way to the right. AUTO1 WB at 7:17am on a clear, sunny morning. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: a very significant +9. 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 on the base of the bird’s near-wing, right on the same plane as the bird’s eye. Image #1: Osprey in flat flight Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

FlexShooter Pro Flight from the Car

I have tried without success for more than three decades to shoot flight from a vehicle with a long lens. I tried every trick and special mounts without success. Shooting flight off the BLUBB is impossible. Even when I got the Wimberley or the Mongoose M3.6 on the tripod in the vehicle flight was a no-go. With the FlexShooter Pro it is emminently do-able. See Image 1 above. From the driver’s seat after leveling the head.

FlexShooter Pro Update

For incomprehensible reasons, our shipment is being delayed by US Customs despite the fact that I paid the duties and taxes oniline over the weekend. It is likely that it will be here fairly soon …

We’ve now sold seven of the 20 FlexShooter Pro heads that we will be receiving when our next shipment arrives. 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 BigFeet here soon.

This image was also created on the morning of Monday, May 21 down by the lake near my home. Again, working while seated in the front seat of my SUV, 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: 1/2000 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode was perfect with the histogram pushed all the way to the right. AUTO1 WB at 7:23am on a clear, sunny morning. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: a very significant +9. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Center Dynamic. 9 points (d-9) Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected point was squarely on the bird’s right eye (as originally framed). Image #2: Osprey with bream (possibly Bluegill?) Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Bluebill Bingo!

As I got into position, I took a guess at the exposure. It was a very good guess — plus one full stop off the sky, +2/3 stop at framed. I wound up creating about 300 images of this bird. This, the very first one, was my favorite by far. Bingo!

High Level Underwing Detail Question

Which image has the more pleasing underwing detail, Image #1 or Image #2? More importantly, why? There is a very clear answer here.

This is an unsharpened tight crop of image #2: Oprey with bream (?) Nikon TC-E14 Sharpness Progress

Nikon TC-E14 Sharpness Progress

As regular readers well know, I have been having problems with image sharpness when using the TC-E14 with my 600mm f/4 VR. A while back I thought that the problem was with my main 1.4X teleconverter. More recently, I have been creating some inexplicably soft images. Doing some thinking I realized that pretty much all of them were created using Group (grp) AF. I sitll love Group for flight — see Image #1, but I may have been way off base in using at for static subjects. Group has done well for me at close range when I am stopped down a bit — can you say Sandhill Crane head portrait? But problems have persisted when photographing more distant subjects like the Osprey on the perch in Image #2.

Last week at Gatorland I made sharp images when I switched from Group to Single Point AF. More recently, down by the lake, I began working with Dynamaic, 9 points (d-9) AF. The results have been excellent. The large crop of Image #2 immediately above is quite sharp to my eye. This morning I even took a few flights shots using d-9 and a quick peek revealed all sharp images …

Note also that in addition to getting away from Group AF, I have also been stopping down a bit from my usual f/6.3, going at times as narrow as f/10. With Canon I was able to make sharp images with my TCs (even the 2X TCs!) at slow shutter speeds with wide open apertures. As it is looking right now, it seems that Nikon TCs with f/4 lenses produce much sharper images when stopped down about a stop than they do wide open or at f/6.3. I will continue to experiement with the smaller apertures (as I did during this morning’s excellent photo session).

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?

The weather here at ILE had continued clousy until it cleared late on Thursday afternoon. With the thrunder and lightning, I’ve been lucky in to get in my afternoon swims: a mile on Wednesday and 3/4 mile yesterday. It is early morning on Friday May 17, 2019 as I type. As the weather looks great I will be heading down to the lake at about 7am.

As I got my main D850 back from Nikon I will be doing several rounds of Focus Fine-tuning this morning using the new faster, easier method detailed here.

Huge Late-registration 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 five of the 20 FlexShooter Pro heads that we will be receiving next Monday or Tuesday. Folks are encouraged to place their orders now 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.

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 Don’t Go With None 🙂

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 — I could do Sunday if that works for you — and learn a ton. As you saw in the blog post here, 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!

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 on the DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT by participant Jim Miller. He 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 remarkable Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Digital Camera. ISO 3200. Exposure determined using Zebras with ISO on the rear thumb wheel: 1/1600 sec. at f/8. AWB on a hazy afternoon. Center Zone AF-C. Image #1: Red Knots on sandbar with sandworm burrows Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Jim Miller Click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Archeologist Unearths Hidden Photographic Talent with SONY on the DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT

Jim Miller had been on a previous DeSoto IPT several years ago with a dSLR, Canon I believe. He had trouble with exposure. He had trouble making outstanding images. He switched to SONY a while back. He still had trouble with exposure. And he still had trouble making outstanding images. During our first photo session I shared a few SONY basics with Jim: I taught him Patrick Sparkman’s easy as pie exposure technique; Showed him how to choose and use Zone and Expand Flexible Spot; And made a few Menu changes. He quickly became confident of setting the right expsoure every time and as you can see in today’s blog post, began making some outstanding images.

This image was created on the DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT by participant Jim Miller. He used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (at 400mm) and the remarkable Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Digital Camera. ISO 1000. Exposure determined using Zebras with ISO on the rear thumb wheel: 1/2500 sec. at f/10. AWB on a barely sunny afternoon. Center Zone AF-C. Image #2:Great Egrets squabbling Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Jim Miller Click on the image to enjoy a larger version

What He Said (via e-mail)

Dear Artie, What a blast! The DeSoto Sand Bar Secrets IPT this past weekend was the best photo trip I have had. The conditions were perfect with soft light most of the time. The shorebirds and waders were in fine plumage and on their “best” behavior. I learned to recognize several new terns and was especially captivated by the Black Terns.

Most of all, your guidance in setting up zebra exposure warnings coupled with ISO on the back selector wheel improved my rate of keepers by at least 2x. You had us on good bird situations everywhere we went: at North Beach, at East Beach, and at the pier. And you frequently explained the combinations of sun angle and wind direction that enabled us to wind ujp in the best possible shooting situations.

I really enjoyed spending several days with you and Anita. I have been through all photos. — first cut — and am very pleased with the results. Thank you for letting me be part of this trip; everything about it was excellent!

Thanks, as always. Jim

Your Favorite?

Which of Jim’s wo outstanding images do you like best? Be sure to let us know why.

This image was created by me on 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 2000. Matrix metering plus about 1 2/3 stops: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3 NATURAL AUTO WB at 7:49pm. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +4. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. One up from 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 Jim’s head. Image #3: Jim Miller walking off the beach late on a hazy afternoon

My General SONY Conclusions …

Though there are lots of things about SONY that drive me up the wall — heck, almost all of them could be fixed with a Firmware Update, but I love my SONY 100-400 OSS, the a9, the a7R iii, and the FE 1.4X teleconverter especially for close work and for flight. Right now I am using the SONY gear as an adjunct to my Nikon gear and that works well for me.

It is important to note however that 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.

SONY A9 Getting Started Guide with Video

If you are just getting started with your SONY a9 (or a7R iii) body and would like to know how to set the menu items that are relevant to bird photography, you can puchase it in the BAA Online Store by clicking here or by sending 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.

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?

The weather here has been clousy. On Monday I got in a late 70-length swim when the lightning and thunder finally quit. I have not been down to the lake in days …

Clockwise from top left to center: breeding plumage Cattle Egret in flight, breeding plumage Cattle Egret head portrait, breeding plumage Cattle Egret head, portrait, Great Egret large chick head portrait, worn fading Cattle Egret on the nest, small Snowy Egret chick squawking/begging, Great Egret fledged young head portrait, breeding plumage Cattle Egret head portrait, and Snowy Egret large fledgling head and shoulders. Photo Mechanic Screen Capture Composite of my favorite keepers from Mother’s Day

Let’s Run That One Back!

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

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 Saturday and learn a ton. It will be prime time for Cattle Egrets in breeding plumage, 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!

The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro

The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro
Works great with SONY ARW (RAW) files too!

By Arash Hazeghi/$50.00 via PDF download/click here to purchase.

This 50+ page guide walks you through all the necessary steps to convert your Nikon NEF (and SONY ARW) files into sharp, detailed, and clean full-size TIFF files. To use this guide, you will need Capture One Pro 11 or newer (sold separately— see below). The guide is in digital PDF format via download.

When I heard that Arash, with his fervent desire to produce the sharpest, most detailed image files possible, had switched to Capture One for his Nikon RAW conversions and was seeing a big difference in image quality, I got a copy of Capture One Pro. With his guide in hand, I began converting my Nikon files in C-1 Pro. And seeing a difference. And the same happened with my SONY images. Most of the images you have seen on the blog over the past two months were converted in C-1 Pro and optimized in Photoshop.

C-1 Pro 12 automatically recognizes RAW files from a long list of SONY (and Nikon) bodies including the a7R iii and the a9. I find that for the most part that Arash’s numbers for out-of-camera sharpening (on page 38) and for Luminance noise reduction (on page 39) work well with both SONY bodies. At times, working at 200%, I will fine-tune those settings for best results as detailed on pages 35 & 36 of the guide.

To purchase a copy of Capture One, please use this link. Note: I use Capture One Pro 12/perpetual license.

What’s Up?

I have not been down to the lake since I got home from the last DeSoto IPT. I will be headed down this morning, Saturday, May 11, 2019 after I finish this blog post and have breakfast. I spent many hours yesterday working on our next two publications, Andrew McLachlan’s Frog Pond Adventures/A Guide to Photographing Frogs and Toads, and The BIRDS AS ART Middle of Florida Photography Site Guide that I am doing with BPN-friend Joseph Przybyla. Joe posts in the Avian Forum most every day and his skills have improved by leaps and bounds over the past few years.

I did enjoy a slow one mile swim on Friday afternoon.

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

Join me at Gatorland tomorrow 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.

FlexShooter Pro Update

Not surprisingly, we have sold all twenty 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 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 …

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.

birds as art: The Avian Photography of Arthur Morris/The Top 100:

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 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. 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

In yesterday’s short blog post here, I asked, with regards to the image above:

#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?

Scroll down for the optimized image and the answers.

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. Least Tern with fish at sunset Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

The Optimized Image (above) and the Answers (below)

• #1: The bird is clearly and unequivocally a Least Tern. Kudos to Ryan Sanderson who knows his terns. He commented: The structure of the bird suggests Least Tern.. Royal and Sandwich Terns are both much stouter. And Least has a distinctive, dainty jazz with slender, more pointed wings than Forster’s or Common Terns.
• #2: I knew from the minute that I saw the sharp image on the read LCD that I would keep this one and be able to create a decent image during post processing. Several folks, including and especially Muhammad Arif, suggested the correct steps: lighten the imaged during the RAW conversion and crop from our right and below to get the bird out of the center of the frame. The image looked so good after the RAW conversion in Capture One that I did not even need to run any NeatImage noise reduction.

  Notes: I love the perfect wings-up position as well as the fish. During post-processing most of the crud in the water was removed using Content Aware Fill.

• #3: I was trying to create some sunset scenics without a bird in the frame but with the sun in the frame and was trying (without success) to avoid toasting the sun. When I saw the tern, I acquired focus and made two frame, one in focus, one not. Both almost three stops underexposed. With help from blog regular David Policansky, Jeff Walters figured out that I had been working (in Manual mode) with the sun in the frame when I saw the bird against the colored sky and fired.

The Lessons

Digital capture is amazing. It is often possible even easy (as in this case) to save under-exposed or over-exposed RAW files and wind up with decent, usable image files.

Before deleting anything, check to see if there is a picture within the picture. And that goes double for those using high megapixel digital cameras like the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, the Nikon D850, and the Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital Camera Body.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II). You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a Paypal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)

Everything mentioned above (except for Capture One RAW conversions) and tons more — including all of my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — is covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. While the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow, folks using a PC and/or BreezeBrowser will also benefit greatly by studying the material on DB II. Do note that you will find the RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing tutorial only in the new e-guide. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

The two most recent and many of the older MP4 Photoshop Tutorial videos releases go hand and hand with the information in DB II): Note: all of the videos are now priced at an amazingly low $5.00 each.

• The Wingtip Repairs MP4 Video here.
• The MP4 Crow Cleanup Video here.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here.

Though I have become more proficient converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw, I continue to optimize my old Canon images in DPP 4. You can learn how and why I converted (and still convert) nearly all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. And, yes, I still have many Canon images to work on. 🙂 The RAW conversions for all three of today’s featured images was straightforward once I entered my camera/ISO specific recipes (as detailed in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide).

More recently, I have begun converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One.

You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in the The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly. Please use this link to purchase NeatImage.

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?

The DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT was — though sparsely attended with only two participants — a huge success. The weather was just about perfect. And on our one morning with winds too much out of the west the clouds allowed for a great morning. I would have to dig very deep to remember a better DeSoto outing. More on this IPT soon.

I made it home by 1:30pm yesterday after dropping Anita North at TPA for her flight back to Toronto.

This blog post took about four hours to prepare in addition to the time spent optimizing the six images, all in Capture One.

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)

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.

Recent Sales

IPT veteran Joel Eade is 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.
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.
Don Busby sold his Canon 500mm f/4L IS II USM in near-mint condition for a BAA record low $6299.00 (was $6799.00).
BAA-friend Ron Gates sold his Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS (optical stabilization) HSM Lens (for Canon EF mount) in excellent plus condition and a Wimberley P-20 plate for the bargain price of $449.00.
Bob Beal sold a rarely used, eight month old Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens in like-new condition for the BAA record-low price of $10,796.96 the first day it was listed in early April, 2019.
Paul Zappala sold his Canon 500mm f/4L IS II USM (USA) in near-mint condition for a BAA record low-by-far price of $5999.00.
Gary Meyer sold his Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Lens in mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $909.00 on the first day of listing.

New Listings

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS II Lens

Top BAA Used Gear page seller Jim Keener is offering a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 IS L II lens in excellent plus condition for only $899.00. The front element has a minuscule scratch that does not effect the image at all. The sale includes the original product box and packing materials, the front and rear lens caps, the lens pouch, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US lower 48 addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears.

Please contact Jim via e-mail or by phone at 310-741-7435 (9am-9pm Mountain time).

This fast, sharp L lens is a landscape photographers dream lens. It sells new for $1,599.00 so you can save a cool $700.00 by being the first to grab Jim’s lens. Jim does not like haggling so he always prices his gear to sell quickly. artie

Canon mount Zeiss Distagon T 15mm f/2.8 ZE Lens

Top BAA Used Gear page seller Jim Keener is also offering a Canon mount Zeiss Distagon T 15mm f/2.8 ZE lens in like-new condition for the crazy low price of $949.00. The sale includes the original box and packaging, the product booklet and blank warranty card, the front and rear lens caps, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US lower 48 addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears.

Please contact Jim via e-mail or by phone at 310-741-7435 (9am-9pm Mountain time).

The Canon EF-mount Distagon T* 15mm f/2.8 ZE from ZEISS is a unique prime that is ideal for landscape, interior, and astrophotography applications. Its relatively bright f/2.8 maximum aperture is suitable for working in difficult lighting conditions while shooting handheld. A Distagon optical concept is used; this reduces field curvature and distortion for high overall sharpness and accurate rendering across the frame. The T* anti-reflective coating has been applied to individual elements and a lens hood is integrated into the lens’s design to control lens flare and ghosting. This ultra wide-angle prime is designed for full-frame Canon EF-mount cameras, however can also be used with APS-C (crop factor) models where it provides a 24mm equivalent focal length. B&H

This is a phenomenal buy on a primo architectural and astro-photography lens that normally sells for $2,950.00. Right now at B&H there is 1,071 in instant savings that brings the price down to $1879. That said, Jim’s lens is still the better buy! By $930.00! Jim does not like haggling so he always prices his gear to sell quickly. artie

Canon EF Extender 1.4X III (teleconverter)

Top BAA Used Gear page seller Jim Keener is also offering a Canon EF Extender 1.4X III (teleconverter) in near-mint condition for the very low price of $299.00. The sale includes the original product box and packing materials, the rear caps, the pouch, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US lower 48 addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears.

Please contact Jim via e-mail or by phone at 310-741-7435 (9am-9pm Mountain time).

These sell new for $429.00. As regular readers know I routinely traveled with three 1.4X III TCs and two 2X III TCs when I used Canon gear. ‘Nuff said. artie

Canon EF Extender 2X III (teleconverter)

Top BAA Used Gear page seller Jim Keener is also offering a Canon EF Extender 2X III (teleconverter) in near-mint condition for the very low price of $299.00. The sale includes the original product box and packing materials, the front and rear caps, the pouch, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US lower 48 addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears.

Please contact Jim via e-mail or by phone at 310-741-7435 (9am-9pm Mountain time).

These also sell new for $429.00. As regular readers know I routinely traveled with three 1.4X III TCs and two 2X III TCs when I used Canon gear. ‘Nuff said. artie

1.4X III/2X III/Extension Tube Bundle Offer

Purchase both of Jim Keener’s teleconverters for $598.00 (as above) and Jim will throw in a Canon Extension Tube EF 25 II for free. The front and rear caps for the extension tube are included as is insured ground shipping via major courier to US lower 48 addresses only. Your items will not ship until your check clears.

Please contact Jim via e-mail or by phone at 310-741-7435 (9am-9pm Mountain time).

The 25mm extension tube is great for reducing the minimum focusing distance of your telephoto lens, is a great macro photography accessory, and allows you to stack two TCs for easier travel. artie

High Value Re-run

Four-lens Canon EF-S Bundle

IPT veteran Mark Overgaard is offering a four-lens EF-S bundle, all in near-mint to like-new condition for the crazy-low price of $949.00. EF-S lenses work only with Canon crop sensor bodies such as the 7D, the 7D Mark II, the 70D, and the 80D.

Here are the lenses:

• Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
• Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
• Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM
• Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM

The sale includes all front and rear lens caps and hoods and insured ground shipping by UPS or FEDEX to the lower 48 states only. For all but the 18-135mm lens, the original Canon box is also included.

Please contact Mark via e-mail.

If you are sold on Canon crop factor bodies like the 7D Mark II (see the work of Dan Cadieux), and are looking for some supplementary lenses, this package represents an incredible deal.These four lenses sell new for $1796.00 so you can save $847 by grabbing this great collection now. artie

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, 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 yet another great AirBNB in Gulfport for the DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT.

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 the 2019 DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT on the morning of May 5. Standing at full height behind my tripod, 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 1/3 stops: 1/2500 sec. at f/5 in Manual mode was perfect with the histogram pushed all the way to the right. AUTO1 WB at 8:16am on a cloudy somewhat-bright 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. Image #1: Royal Tern in flight with wings up Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version and better enjoy the sharpness.

The FlexShooter Pro for Flight

For each of these images I was — thanks to the very soft light (I did not have to worry about sun angle at all — able to stand in a given spot for 10-15 minutes at a time. First I’d be sure to sink my tripod into the soft sand and take a moment to center the bubble in the scribed circle on the Induro tripod. Then I would center the bubble in the scribed circle on the FlexShooter Pro. That done I was able to pan fully from left to right or vice versa and be assured of making images that were perfectly square to the world. If the sands shifted a bit I would simply push one leg or another deeper into the sand to re-center the bubble in the scribed circle on the Induro tripod.. That avoided the need to re-center the bubble in the scribed circle on the FlexShooter Pro. If you do not understand what I wrote go back and re-read as this tip can save you a ton of time when working on a soft substrate.

With the Silver Bullet Knob loosened three turns there is just the right amount of tension (only a very little) on the small ball. Panning is a smooth dream and there is not need to tighten or loosen anything. The lens simply stays were you last pointed it and is ready to go instantly. No more ballhead flop. I can honestly say that I became a still-better flight photographer simply by using the FlexShooter Pro.

Notice the perfectly level horizon line with this image (as it was right out of camera, thanks to the FlexShooter Pro).

FlexShooter Pro Complete Info

If you are at all interested in the FlexShooter Pro and missed yesterday’s short and to the point blog post, you can learn a ton more here. We are down to a very few in stock and will be re-ordering again soon.

This image was also created on the 2019 DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT on the morning of May 5. Again, standing at full height behind my tripod, 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 2/3 stops: 1/2500 sec. at f/4.5 in Manual mode was perfect with the histogram pushed all the way to the right. AUTO1 WB at 8:42am on a cloudy somewhat-bright 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. Image #2: Royal Tern flapping after bath Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version and better enjoy the sharpness.

Bathing Birds

We had many dozens of opportunities to photograph bathing gulls, terns, and shorebirds on the recently concluded IPT. When you see a bird in a very few inches of water dipping its breast and flapping about, nine times out of ten it end its bath by flapping its wings rapidly and rising up out of the water. Sometimes they will bathe again and repeat the same scenario. At other times they might fly off (usually taking off into the wind). Working on the FlexShooter Pro I found it child’s play to follow the action whether flying or flapping.

You will often notice groups of birds bathing in a relatively small area. I believe that the over-riding factor is the depth of the water. By paying further attention to behavior you will note that when the birds do take flight for good and leave the bathing area, they will they almost always shake water off in during the first few seconds of flight. This can result in some really neat poses as in Image #3 immediately below. Improving your observational skills will enable you to create some images that you might otherwise miss.

This image was also created on the 2019 DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT on the morning of May 5. Again, standing at full height behind my tripod, 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 1/3 stops: 1/2500 sec. at f/4.5 in Manual mode was perfect with the histogram pushed all the way to the right. AUTO1 WB at 8:32am on a cloudy somewhat-bright 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. Image #3: Sandwich Tern shaking off water in flight after bath Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version and better enjoy the sharpness.

The Advantages of Flight Shooting on the Tripod with Big Glass

As I am not one of the young guns who can hand hold a 500 or 600mm f/4 lens for flight for hours on end, working with those lenses on a tripod for flight photography makes a ton of sense. Fatigue is reduced to zero and with the FlexShooter Pro your big lens is rendered weightless and the handling and panning is smooth and efficient. And having the full reach of your longest lens is a big plus when you are in need of reach.

So why not hand hold a smaller lens like the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR, the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS, or the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II? Aside from less reach in general, the big advantage goes to the f/4 lenses, especially on cloudy days such as the one we enjoyed on May 5. And on sunny days your might opt to work at crazy high shutter speeds such as 1/6400 second. By working at f/4.5 or f/5 I am able to save a full stop of ISO on average. All of the hand holdable lenses mentioned above are f/5.6 and I almost always work with those at f/6.3 to reduce vignetting and add just a touch of additional sharpness.

If the birds are flying by at close range on a sunny day (with the wind and sun behind you fo course) then hand holding one of the shorter lenses mentioned above can work extremely well as it is generally easier to follow the birds in flight and frame the image as desired. To a great degree, however, the FlexShooter Pro comes very close to evening the playing field when comparing a tripod mounted super-telephoto lens with a shorter hand holdable intermediate telephotos or with intermediate telephoto zoom lenses.

This image was created on the 2019 DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT on the morning of May 5. Standing at full height behind my tripod, 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 1/3 stops: 1/2500 sec. at f/5 in Manual mode was perfect with the histogram pushed all the way to the right. AUTO1 WB at 8:31am on a cloudy somewhat-bright 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. Image #4: Sandwich Tern lifting off after bath Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version and better enjoy the sharpness.

Byebye!

This Sandwich Tern had finished its bath and was leaving the scene. I love the water droplets. Here again the Flexshooter Pro proved its worth for flight and action situations.

This image was created on the 2019 DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT on the morning of May 5. Standing at full height behind my tripod, 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 1/3 stops: 1/2000 sec. at f/5 in Manual mode was a slight underexposure. AUTO1 WB at 7:38am on a cloudy early 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. Image #5: Black Skimmer taking flight after bath Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version and better enjoy the sharpness.

Best Cropping Option?

Though I did clip the upper wingtip on this image I got photo-bombed at the top of the frame by a photographer lying down in the water. But the pose was so spectacular that I simply went for a tighter crop. I absolutely love the yellowish flanks and under-secondaries of Black Skimmers at the height of breeding plumage in late spring and early summer.

This image was also created on the 2019 DeSoto Sandbar Secrets IPT on the morning of May 5. Again, standing at full height behind my tripod, 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 2/3 stops: 1/1600 sec. at f/5 in Manual mode was perfect with the histogram pushed all the way to the right. AUTO1 WB at 8:25am on a cloudy 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. Image #6: Black Skimmer skimming Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version and better enjoy the sharpness.

Level Pleasure …

Once you have taken a few moments to properly level the FlexShooter Pro it is a pleasure to be able to pan in any direction with impunity without having to worry about rotating the lens in the tripod collar to at best get close to level. With this great new head you just pan and shoot while concentrating only on following and framing the subject.

A Note on Cloudy Day Exposures …

I often say that on cloudy days everyone underexposes — even those with 34 3/4 years of experience. Note how much light was added in each image to come up with a workable or a perfect exposure. Note also the small differences in the exposure settings. Those were due to small changes in the light as the clouds thickened or thinned out a bit.

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s flight images is the strongest? Please 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.

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Typos

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