Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
February 1st, 2016

If You Don't Believe Me, Believe Denise Ippolito...

What’s Up?

I put the finishing touches on my Tuesday evening slide program for the Camera Club of Brevard. And enjoyed a balmy swim with the pool at 76 degrees and the air temp in the mid-70s. I did my knee, shoulder, and core exercises, and enjoyed a relaxing but cold ice bath: the water had warmed up to 59 degrees when I got out.

Both Palouse IPTs have been filling up. Scroll down for the complete details.

This Just In!

Don Mullaney sold his Canon 600mm f/4L IS II lens in mint condition for $9499, the full asking price, on February 1, 2016.

The Streak

Today’s blog post marks 90 days in a row with a new educational blog post. Again, please remember to use our B&H links for your major gear purchases. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. πŸ™‚


eol-logo_2

Thanks to Dan Neri, Len Musmeci, and the Canon Explorers of Light program for their support of the Camera Club of Brevard speaking gig.

Melbourne EoL Speaking Event

On Tuesday, February 2, 2016 I will be presenting “A Bird Photographer’s Story” for the Camera Club of Brevard. The meeting begins at 6:30pm and is free and open to the public. This program is sponsored by Canon USA/Explorers of Light. A small selection of books and CDs will be available for sale. You can find complete details including the location here.


bhsmalllogo

B&H

B&H contributed generously as the primary SDNHM exhibition sponsor. Thank them (and me for the blog) by clicking on the logo link above to shop.


brown-pelican-7d-with-pouch-distended-_mg_8471-lajolla-ca

This image was created (hand held) on the January 2010 San Diego IPT with the old 100-400 (at 185mm) and the original 7D. As most of you know, the old 1-4 is now replaced by the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens and the old 7D by the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6. AWB. It looks as if a bit of fill flash was used.

In soft light, I tried to limit my use of the old 7D to ISO 500 and below. As you can clearly see here, this camera is perfectly capable of making some nice images. The 7D II, however, is a huge improvement.

Brown Pelican with bill pouch distended with the old 7D and the old 100-400.

If You Don’t Believe Me, Believe Denise Ippolito…

The question of the day, if owned a 7D and the old 100-400, and you could only upgrade one item, which should it be, and why?

As I mentioned yesterday, what seemed like a fairly difficult question was actually an easy one.

I advised Jim Hoover to purchase the Canon EOS 7D Mark II. He did.

Th early returns here on the blog were for him to upgrade to the new Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens. But by mid-morning, lots of folks began to chime in for keeping the old 1-4 and going for the 7D II. The question got lots of play on Facebook as well, with sort of the opposite situation; most early commenters were all in favor of the 7D II, and then there was a slew of folks proclaiming, “Always get the best lens.”

While I agree with that in principle as good advice, the 7D Mark II is so many light-years better than the old 7D that for me–and for many others who had previously upgraded from the 7D to the 7D II–the choice was an easy one. Why? Better image quality, that by a mile. Better control of high ISO noise. A much faster frame rate. And a vastly improved autofocus system. Interestingly enough, nearly every person on the blog and on Facebook who upgraded from the old 7D to the new 7D II thought that Jim should upgrade the camera and not the lens…

It comes as no surprise to regulars here that I love, cherish, and adore my 100-400II; it may just be my all-time favorite lens. But for Jim, it made no sense to stick with the 7D and upgrade to the 1-4 II. The much-maligned original 100-400 is a great lens. It is sharp throughout its focal length range and is very versatile. The advantages of the new lens are the improved 4-stop IS system and its amazing close focus of .98 meters (3.2fet). But the advantages of the 7D II over the original 7D far outweigh the advantages of the new 1-4 over the old 1-4.

So What Does Denise Ippolito Have to Do With This?

Denise Ippolito always loved her original 100-400. She sold it on the Used Gear Page about a year ago and has used the 70-200 f/2.8L IS II with the 2X III TC and usually the 7D II since then, with amazing results I might add. Though she has spoken often about getting the new 1-4, I am pretty sure that she has not done so yet. If you ask her about the original 7D and she will tell you that she did not like that camera one bit. Why? Poor quality image files, even at ISO 400. She could not stand the look of those tiny pixels. And she felt that anything above ISO 400 was horrible. She loves her 7D II for birds and most wildlife. So for her, and for me as well, it is an open and shut case for upgrading the camera body. Note: her go-to body for flowers and urbex is the 5D Mark III.

Selling Your Used Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog or via a BAA Online Bulletin is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charges a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly–I offer free pricing advice, usually sells in no time flat. In the past few months, we have sold just about everything in sight. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the original 400mm IS DO lens have been dropping steadily. Even the prices on the new 600 II and the 200-400 with Internal Extender have been plummeting. You can see all current listings by clicking here or by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the right side of the yellow-orange menu bar above.

To say that sales during the last two weeks of January have been brisk, would be a big understatement:

  • Gregg Hunt sold his 7D Mark II sold for $999, the full asking price, on January 31, 2016.
  • Mark Hodgson sold his Canon 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens in mint condition $7499 within days of listing at the end of January, 2016.
  • Mark Hodgson also sold his Canon 5D Mark III the Canon BG-E11 battery grip and two Canon batteries for $1899 in very January, 2016.
  • And his mint Series III TC set to me for $558 before it was even listed.
  • Sash Dias sold his Nikon D4 body in excellent condition for $2399 the day after it was listed in late January, 2016.
  • Bill Fraser sold his 1D Mark IV body in excellent condition for $1299 at the end of January, 2016.
  • Multiple IPT veteran Brent Bridges sold his used Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in excellent condition for $4599 in late January, 2016.
  • Saul Pleeter sold his Sony Alpha a7R Mirrorless Digital Camera in near-new condition for $799 on the first day it was listed in late January 2016.
  • Mark Hodgson sold his Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens in very good plus condition for $599 within a day of listing in late January 2016.
  • Bill Condon sold his Canon 500mm f/4L IS USM lens in near-mint condition for $4199 on the first day it was listed in late January 2016.
  • Walt Thomas sold his used Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro lens in mint condition for $749 in late January.
  • Roberta Olenick sold her Canon EOS-1D Mark IV camera body in excellent condition for $1279 USD in mid-January.

There are still lots of great items listed currently… Again, you can see all of these great buys by clicking here.

New Listings

Patrick Sparkman and wife Robin have traveled all over the world with us. Unlike me, Patrick is a photographer who takes really, really good care of his gear.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Multiple IPT veteran Patrick Sparkman is offering a used Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR Camera in excellent condition for $1799. The body is in excellent condition with just a few minor scuff marks on the top of the body and top lcd. The sale includes the body, two batteries, battery charger, Vello BG-C9 Battery Grip, box, front cover, and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Patrick by e-mail.

I have used the 5D III for birds on occasion with excellent results, even with the 2X III TC and the 600 II. It has long been my go-to dSLR for flowers, landscapes, and Urbex photography. In my experience, the quality of the image files is second only to those from the 5DS R. artie

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens

Multiple IPT veteran Patrick Sparkman is offering a used Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens in excellent condition for $849. There there are only minor signs of wear on the lens hood; the glass is perfect. The sale includes the lens hood, box, soft case that came with the lens, the front cover, the rear lens cap and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Patrick by e-mail.

I used this lightweight intermediate telephoto lens in Norway for birds and for B-roll stuff. It is superbly sharp and extremely versatile. It would be a great buy either for a travel photographer or a beginning to intermediate bird photographer (who cannot at present afford the 100-400 II). artie

Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM Lens

Multiple IPT veteran Patrick Sparkman is offering a used Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM Lens in excellent condition for $525. The lens is in excellent condition, but does have a couple of dust flakes inside the lens (that have zero effect on the images). The glass, however, is perfect. The sale includes the lens hood, box, soft case that came with the lens, the front cover, the rear lens cap and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Patrick by e-mail.

The old 24-70 was long a favorite of serious landscape photographers until it was replaced by the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II; the price tag on that is $1799. artie

Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR

IPT veteran Patrick Sparkman is offering a used Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR Camera with the Canon BG-E16 Battery Grip in like new condition for $1149. The sale includes the body, two batteries, battery charger, box, front cover, and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Patrick by e-mail.

Simply put, the 7D II with its fine image quality, fast frame rate, and superb AF system is the greatest value ever in a dSLR. artie


palouse-2016-card-layers

Subject and focal lengths clockwise from upper left around to center.

Palouse Falls: 11mm; homemade kiddie race car: 105mm; barn siding pan blur: 798mm; Rolling fields diorama: 110mm; Crayola drums: 343 mm; Hay barn interior: 19mm; vintage gas station: 40mm; Dilapidated farm building: 13mm; Denise’s tree Infrared: 20mm.

Images and card design by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART.

The Palouse ~ A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT)/Eastern Washington State. June 3-7, 2016/5 Full Days: $1699/Limit 12/Openings: 6

The Palouse ~ A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT)/Eastern Washington State. June 10-14, 2016/5 Full Days: $1699/Limit 12/Openings: 2

Double Header!

Maximize both your travel dollars and your learning experience by signing up for both IPTs.


denisepalouse-card

Images and card design by Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure.

The Palouse IPTs

Rolling farmlands provide a magical patchwork of textures and colors, especially when viewed from the top of Steptoe Butte where we will likely enjoy spectacular sunrises and possibly a nice sunset. We will photograph grand landscapes and mini-scenics of the rolling hills and farm fields. We will take you to some really neat old abandoned barns and farmhouses in idyllic settings. There is no better way to improve your compositional and image design skills and to develop your creativity than to join us for this trip. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Photoshop and image sharing sessions when we have the time and energy…. We get up early and stay out late and the days are long.

After 6 days of back-breaking scouting work in early June 2014 we found all of the iconic locations and, in addition, lots of spectacular new old barns and breath-taking landforms and views. On three additional scouting days in 2015 we discovered several more truly amazing locations. We will teach you what makes one situation prime and another seemingly similar one a waste of your time.

What’s included: In-the-field instruction, guidance, lessons, and inspiration, our newfound but very extensive knowledge of the area, all lunches, motel lobby grab and go breakfasts, and Photoshop and image sharing sessions when possible. There will be a meet and greet at 7:30pm on the evening before each workshop begins.

You will learn and hone both basic and advanced compositional and image design skills. You will learn to get the right exposure every time. You will learn to develop your creative eye. You will learn the basics of HDR (high dynamic range) photography. You will learn a variety of in-camera creative techniques. Most importantly you will learn to see the situation and to create a variety of top-notch images. Do see both of our blogs for lots more on that in the coming weeks. You will learn how the quality and direction of light combine to determine the success of your images. And–please don’t gasp–we will be working quite a bit with sidelight when creating landscapes. Lastly, we will be doing some infrared photography.

To Sign Up

A non-refundable $699 deposit is due now. The balance will be due on February 15, 2016. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

With the spectacular success that we enjoyed in 2015 it seems quite likely that this one will fill up very quickly. Please let me know via e-mail that you will be joining us. Then you can either call Jim or Jennifer at 863-692-0906 during business hours or send us a check to leave a deposit; the latter is preferred. If by check, please make out to “Arthur Morris” and mail it to: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via e-mail: artie or denise.

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. 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. Whenever purchasing travel insurance be sure to read the fine print carefully even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links πŸ™‚

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 BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. 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 we are always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. I just learned that my account was suspended during my absence; it should be up and running by Monday at the latest.

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 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 visiting the BAA Online store as well.

Facebook

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

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 πŸ™‚

January 31st, 2016

A Seemingly Tough Either/Or Upgrade Question...

What’s Up?

I recently sent a review copy of the Southern Ocean Photography Guide to good friend Joe Kaplan, a member of the Cheesemans’ Ecology Safari Expedition staff team. Joe is a birder, zodiac driver, and auctioneer extraordinaire who has been wonderfully helpful to me in many ways on each of my four trips with CES. He is mentioned several times in the e-book. Anywhoo, he e-mailed me on Friday and tells me that none of the hyperlinks in the PDF work. I re-make the PDF but still no luck.

So I did a search and learned that yes, when you create a PDF from a Microsoft Word for Mac file, you kill the links. (I prefer Word to Pages…) There were dozens of complex sets of instructions on how to get around the problem, none of which I could follow. One mentioned saving the file as a .doc rather than as a .docx so I tried that. Still no luck. Then I decided to get that file onto one of the PCs in the BAA office and try making the PFD there. Good plan but I ran into all sorts of hassles simply getting the file there from my Mac. I finally did that, created the CD in Word, and was thrilled to see that they hyperlinks were active. But every time that I made the PDF I noticed that there were a few untoward formatting errors. I wound up re-doing the PDF about six times after noticing the various errors. Just when I thought that I was done I tried to save my .doc Word file only to have it pop-up: cannot save; read-only file. A phone call to older daughter Jennifer got me past that hurdle: “Dad, just save it with a new name.” That worked, and I was finally, mercifully done.

The total time to complete a task that should have taken three minutes turned out to be more than five hours. You gotta love it.

Swam at 12:30, napped at 2pm, and did some knee, shoulder, and core exercises in the early evening. Then I couch-potatoed it on the big UFC event.

Today I put the finishing touches on my Camera Club of Brevard program. In Keynote; much, much easier than Powerpoint…

If there is anyone who would like to join my on the Cheesemans’ OCT/NOV 2016 last-ever South Georgia/Falklands Expedition please shoot me an e-mail; there are still a very few slots left.

These Just In

#1: See the mega-educational Avian BPN blog post here. The subject is one of my very favorite birds. Photo by Adhika Lie.

#2: I just this minute (7:32am) learned that Gregg Hunt’s 7D Mark II sold for the full asking price this morning. See more on Used Photo Gear stuff below.

The Streak

Today’s blog post marks 90 days in a row with a new educational blog post. Again, please remember to use our B&H links for your major gear purchases. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. πŸ™‚


eol-logo_2

Thanks to Dan Neri, Len Musmeci, and the Canon Explorers of Light program for their support of the Camera Club of Brevard speaking gig.

Melbourne EoL Speaking Event

On Tuesday, February 2, 2016 I will be presenting “A Bird Photographer’s Story” for the Camera Club of Brevard. The meeting begins at 6:30pm and is free and open to the public. This program is sponsored by Canon USA/Explorers of Light. A small selection of books and CDs will be available for sale. You can find complete details including the location here.


bhsmalllogo

B&H

B&H contributed generously as the primary SDNHM exhibition sponsor. Thank them (and me for the blog) by clicking on the logo link above to shop.


riing-billed-gull-taking-flight-_y8a3510-coronado-ca

This image was created on the first afternoon of the 2016 San Diego IPT with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 271mm) and the still amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400: 1/2500 sec. at f/8, my standard “bright WHITEs in full sun” exposure.

One AF point below the center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Shutter Button as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). Though the lower assist point barely caught the top of the gull’s tail–this is a vertical crop from a horizontal original–the image is sharp on the eye.

Ring-billed Gull taking flight

Jim’s Dilemma

Jim Hoover (see immediately below) can choose only one: the camera that I used to create the image above or the lens that I used to create the image above. Which would you go for?

A Seemingly Tough Upgrade Question…

I received this e-mail from blog regular Jim Hoover at 12:22pm on Saturday, but did not see it until after I got out of the pool at about 1:30.

Arthur,

I read all of your posts with great interest and continue to learn from them–they are very educational.

I am struggling with how best to upgrade my equipment and would appreciate your thoughts. I currently have the “old” Canon 7D and the original 100-400. This combination has worked great for me as most of my bird photography is done while hiking–whether in the US or in tropical rain forests. The weight is fine for this 60-year old. πŸ™‚

I am thinking of upgrading and can afford to buy either the new Canon EOS 7D Mark II or the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens at this time. The improved ISO performance with the 7D II is enticing for the lower light situations. But the improved IS on the lens is a strong plus for upgrading the lens.

Any thoughts you have are much appreciated. Once I make up my mind, I will use your B&H Photo link to purchase one or the other.

Jim

When I first read the e-mail I thought that it was a really tough question. But after only a moment’s consideration, I realized that it was not a tough question and all. In my opinion, there is a clear cut answer.

What do y’all think?


san-diego-card-neesie

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects. With annual visits spanning more than three decades I have lot of experience there….

2017 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) JAN 11 thru and including the morning session on JAN 15: 4 1/2 days: $1999.

(Limit: 10/openings 8)

Meet and Greet at 7:00pm on the evening before the IPT begins; Tuesday 1/10/17.

Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Duck; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heerman’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seals (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lions; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the two IPT cards there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well.

With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there is usually some excellent flight photography. And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication.

Did I mention that there are wealth of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter?

For complete 2017 San Diego ITP info please click here.

Selling Your Used Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog or via a BAA Online Bulletin is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charges a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly–I offer free pricing advice, usually sells in no time flat. In the past few months, we have sold just about everything in sight. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the original 400mm IS DO lens have been dropping steadily. Even the prices on the new 600 II and the 200-400 with Internal Extender have been plummeting. You can see all current listings by clicking here or by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the right side of the yellow-orange menu bar above.

To say that January sales have been brisk would be an understatement:

  • Mark Hodgson sold his Canon 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens in mint condition $7499 within days of listing at the end of January, 2016.
  • Mark Hodgson also sold his Canon 5D Mark III the Canon BG-E11 battery grip and two Canon batteries for $1899 in very January, 2016.
  • And his mint Series III TC set to me for $558 before it was even listed.
  • Sash Dias sold his Nikon D4 body in excellent condition for $2399 the day after it was listed in late January, 2016.
  • Bill Fraser sold his 1D Mark IV body in excellent condition for $1299 at the end of January, 2016.
  • Multiple IPT veteran Brent Bridges sold his used Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in excellent condition for $4599 in late January, 2016.
  • Saul Pleeter sold his Sony Alpha a7R Mirrorless Digital Camera in near-new condition for $799 on the first day it was listed in late January 2016.
  • Mark Hodgson sold his Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens in very good plus condition for $599 within a day of listing in late January 2016.
  • Bill Condon sold his Canon 500mm f/4L IS USM lens in near-mint condition for $4199 on the first day it was listed in late January 2016.
  • Walt Thomas sold his used Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro lens in mint condition for $749 in late January.
  • Roberta Olenick sold her Canon EOS-1D Mark IV camera body in excellent condition for $1279 USD in mid-January.
  • Douglas Bolt sold his Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD Zoom lens for Canon in like-new condition for $699 in mid-January.
  • Diane Miller sold her 300mm f/2.8L IS lens, the old three, for $2899 in mid-January, 2016.
  • Mike Quigley’s Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens (the old five) sold in early January for $3999.
  • Bill Ellison sold his 100-400 for $650 in early January, 2016.

There are still lots of great items listed currently… Again, you can see all of these great buys by clicking here.

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links πŸ™‚

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 BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. 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 we are always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. I just learned that my account was suspended during my absence; it should be up and running by Monday at the latest.

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 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 visiting the BAA Online store as well.

Facebook

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

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 πŸ™‚

January 30th, 2016

Picking Your Keepers 101...

What’s Up?

I finished the Southern Ocean Photography Guide but learned from an early reviewer that none of the links in the PDF work. πŸ™ I finished an article for Helen Slaughter-Saccone for the spring issue of Nature Photography magazine. And a swim and an ice bath.

Sash Dias sold his used Nikon D4 body in excellent condition for $2399 the day after it was listed. You can see all of the great Used Photo Gear listings by clicking here or by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the right end of the orange menu bar at the top of each blog page.

This blog post took 2 1/2 hours to prepare.

The Streak

Today’s blog post marks 89 days in a row with a new educational blog post. Again, please remember to use our B&H links for your major gear purchases. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. πŸ™‚


eol-logo_2

Thanks to Dan Neri, Len Musmeci, and the Canon Explorers of Light program for their support of the Camera Club of Brevard speaking gig.

Melbourne EoL Speaking Event

On Tuesday, February 2, 2016 I will be presenting “A Bird Photographer’s Story” for the Camera Club of Brevard. The meeting begins at 6:30pm and is free and open to the public. This program is sponsored by Canon USA/Explorers of Light. A small selection of books and CDs will be available for sale. You can find complete details including the location here.


bhsmalllogo

B&H

B&H contributed generously as the primary SDNHM exhibition sponsor. Thank them (and me for the blog) by clicking on the logo link above to shop.


y5o7871-nickerson-beach-li-ny

This image was created on July 15, 2014 at Nickerson Beach, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and the rugged Canon EOS-1D. ISO 250. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6. AWB.

A single AF point that was two to the right of the center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure. In 2014 I was still using Rear Button Focus all the time; today in this situation I would have been using Shutter Button AF. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Image #1

Picking Your Keepers 101…

A few days ago I wrote; “In the follow-up to the hugely popular and somewhat controversial blog post here, Brendan left a comment that I have paraphrased here: One instructional thing I would love to see on this blog is a basic lesson on how to look critically look at one’s photos. About eight years ago I began saving series of similar images from which I planned to do an Evaluating Your Images guide. At some point, I lost that file. I started a new one and eventually lost that one too. πŸ™ This morning I found a still newer file with only a few images in it including the five posted here today. More on those below. I will have Jim search a ton of external Hard Drives on Monday for the two files that are MIA (though I am 99% sure that he will not find the original one).

IAC, I asked that folks critique the full frame image of the Heermann’s Gull with the Red Tuna Crab in its bill. Many responded, but most folks struggled identifying what I thought were obvious problems… I shared my critique of that image here.


y5o7868-nickerson-beach-li-ny

This image was created on July 15, 2014 at Nickerson Beach, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and the rugged Canon EOS-1D. ISO 250. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6. AWB.

A single AF point that was two to the right of the center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure. In 2014 I was still using Rear Button Focus all the time; today in this situation I would have been using Shutter Button AF. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Image #2

Please trash this image

As an experiment, I posted the Heermann’s Gull with the Red Tuna Crab in its bill image on BPN. You can see that thread here. As I fully expected–the first to comment, Ross Taylor, nailed the critique matching what I had said about the image almost word for word:

Hi Artie. Trashing for fun? Ok, I’ll bite πŸ˜‰

A higher POV would raise that horizon away from the head. A looser crop could give the tail a little more clearance to the edge of frame, without making the bird appear too central. The body and head seem turned away slightly. The scratches and crab guts in the foreground draw the eye, and perhaps could be considered to be cloned out. There is a specular highlight or dust spot above the tail.

…. and furthermore, lol, the tight crop portrait seems to emphasize the action much better than the OP. TFS-Ross

Many folks agreed and one or two went off on a tangent. If you read the thread, you will see that I stood up for my work when I disagree with folks. I always do. Even with an image that I consider sub-par.

All in all the folks on BPN did a much better job of critiquing the image than the folks here on the blog. The result? We will be doing lots of “Picking Your Keepers 101” blog posts. Today’s is the first of many to come.


y5o7873-nickerson-beach-li-ny

This image was created on July 15, 2014 at Nickerson Beach, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and the rugged Canon EOS-1D. ISO 250. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6. AWB.

A single AF point that was two to the right of the center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure. In 2014 I was still using Rear Button Focus all the time; today in this situation I would have been using Shutter Button AF. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Image #3

Setting the Scene

The five images presented here today were purposefully selected from a 16-image sequence for inclusion in what I hope will be a very educational series of posts. All of the images have a yellow cast, and all need to be leveled. All are pretty sharp.

Question

How can you tell that each of the five images needs to be leveled?

Your Job

Your job here today is a simple one. Identify the worst of the five images and let us know why. Then identify the what you consider to be the very best image, and let us know why.

If you cannot identify the worst of the five images, the one that should be an insta-delete, you are advised to scroll down and join BPN immediately.


y5o7884-nickerson-beach-li-ny

This image was created on July 15, 2014 at Nickerson Beach, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and the rugged Canon EOS-1D. ISO 250. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6. AWB.

A single AF point that was two to the right of the center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure. In 2014 I was still using Rear Button Focus all the time; today in this situation I would have been using Shutter Button AF. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Image #4

BirdPhotographer’s.Net (BPN)

The very best way to learn to evaluate your images is to plunk down your forty bucks and join BPN. You post your images and have them critiqued by many of our fine moderators and lots of skilled members, and in turn, you get to learn a ton by commenting on the images of others. And best of all, it ain’t just birds! There are image critique forums that cover other areas. These include Wildlife, Macro and Flora, Landscapes, Cityscapes and Travel, Out Of The Box, In Camera and Post Processing Techniques, Framing Your Images With Words, and Story Sequences. In addition, beginning nature photographers can receive extra help in the Eager to Learn Forum. You can click here to access any of the aforementioned forums in addition to the Photography Discussion (and other) forums. If you join and post an image please e-mail me the link and I will be glad to stop by and comment.


y5o7883-nickerson-beach-li-ny

This image was created on July 15, 2014 at Nickerson Beach, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and the rugged Canon EOS-1D. ISO 250. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6. AWB.

A single AF point that was two to the right of the center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure. In 2014 I was still using Rear Button Focus all the time; today in this situation I would have been using Shutter Button AF. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Image #5

Stay Tuned!

Stay tuned for my thoughts on the five images, the answer to the leveling question (along with a great tip on how to do it), and more Picking Your Keepers 101 posts.


nickersoncardajuly2016layers

From upper left clockwise to center: Black Skimmer head portrait, American Oystercatcher dining on surf clam flesh, Common Tern at sunset, Common Tern adult swallowing flatfish, Black Skimmer in flight, newborn Common Tern chick, American Oystercatcher with chick, fresh juvenile Common Tern (with fill flash), and Common Terns copulating.

Nickerson Beach Terns/Skimmers/Oystercatchers Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT): July 18-22, 2016. 4 1/2 DAYS: $1899.

Meet and greet at 3pm on the afternoon of Monday, July 18. Limit 10.

The primary subject species of this IPT will be the nesting Common Terns. The trip is timed so that we will get to photograph tiny chicks as well as fledglings. There will be lots of flight photography including adults flying with baitfish. Creating great images of the chicks being fed is a huge challenge. In addition to the terns we will get to photograph lots of Black Skimmers courting, setting up their nesting territories, and in flight (both singles and large pre-dawn flocks blasting off). Midair battles are guaranteed on sunny afternoons. And with luck, we might even see a few tiny chicks toward the end of the trip. We will also get to photograph the life cycle of American Oystercatcher. This will likely include nests with eggs and tiny chicks, young being fed, and possibly a few fledglings.

Nesting Piping Plover is also possibly. There will be lots of gulls to photograph; most years I am able to find a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls of varying ages in addition to the Herring, Ring-billed, and Great Black-backed Gulls. You will learn to identify and age the various gull species. There will likely be some Willets feeding along the surf and with luck we might get to photograph a handsome juvenile or two. In addition to the locally breeding shorebirds, we will likely get to see some southbound migrant arctic-and sub-arctic breeding shorebird species such as Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, and maybe even Red Knot.

Click here and scroll down for complete details.


covera

birds as art: The Avian Photography of Arthur Morris/The Top 100
The companion e-book to the solo exhibit at TheNat, San Diego, California

The new e-book on CD is available here. The new e-book via is also available via convenient download for $20 by clicking here.

From Rod Anton via e-mail

Dear Artie, Beyond the superlatives you have received for your beautiful presentation, all of which I agree with whole heartedly, I would like to add my thoughts about your exhibition. I see the the dedication, the determination, the passion and the tenacity that drives you, as well as your love of the birds and of your love of photography. Congratulations. The exhibit-companion CD deserves a shout out. Sincerely, Rod Anton

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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 πŸ™‚