December 21st, 2015 What’s Up?
I had a long to-do list for Sunday but wound up watching too much NFL football. The NY Football Giants one-hand catch phenom Odell Beckham Jr. dropped a sure, wide open touchdown pass on the game’s third play. Using both hands…. A bit later on in the game one of their usually sure-handed defensive backs dropped a sure pick six (interception returned for a touchdown) only 30 yards from the goal line. I should have explained that the Giants were playing with their whole season on the line: lose and miss the playoffs. And I should have mentioned that they were playing the undefeated Carolina Panthers with their superman quarterback Cam Newton. Ah, what could have been.
By the end of the third quarter the Giants were down by 28 points, 35-7. Game over Season over for the Giants. Right? Not so fast. With a bit more than a minute left in the game the Giants capped off an amazing comeback on the second touchdown pass caught by the aforementioned Odell Beckham Jr. And tied the score!
Only to lose in regulation on a Panther field goal with no time left on the clock. It was yet another fitting and well deserved loss in a Giants’ season marred by countless squandered opportunities. Not to mention countless games squandered away.
So what’s the good news? I am feeling pretty darned good for the first time since October 20. Two months is a long time for a cold and congestion. I hope that it is gone for good!
South Georgia OCT/NOV 2016
If you have been thinking of joining me as part of the BIRDS AS ART group on the last-ever South Georgia expedition, please note that cabin choices are becoming quite limited. If you are seriously interested, please do not tarry. Scroll down for details.
Amazing 7D Mark II/PIXMA PRO-100 Printer Kit Deal
Get a 7D II for a ridiculous $1049 and a free PIXMA PRO-100 Printer. With paper!
Y’all know how much I love my 7D II. Heck, look no further than the featured image in the blog post here and be sure to check out the amazing image quality. That plus the 7D II’s 1.6 crop factor which gives you lots of extra reach with lots of pixels. Also included within this kit is the PIXMA PRO-100 wireless inkjet printer, which prints up to 4800 x 2400 dpi and supports media up to 13 x 19″. An eight-color ink system realizes true color rendition and incorporates three monochrome inks for enhanced density and black and white printing capabilities.
What’s in the Kit?
Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR Camera (Body Only)
Canon PIXMA PRO-100 Wireless Professional Inkjet Photo Printer
Canon SG-201 Photo Paper Plus Semi-Gloss (13 x 19″, 50 Sheets)
Ruggard Commando 36 DSLR Shoulder Bag
SanDisk 32GB Ultra UHS-I SDHC Memory Card (Class 10)
Please note that there is a $350 mail-in rebate with this offer.
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This image was created at St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia on the OCT/NOV Cheesemans’ Expedition with the Induro GIT 304L tripod/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III (at 560mm), and the rugged Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/200 sec. at f/11. AWB. Should have been evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops as I needed to open this up during the RAW conversion in DPP 4.
Center AF point (by necessity)/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF on the center of the breast as framed was active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial.
King Penguin with large wound on breast
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Warning: Gruesome & Gory
I saw more than a few bloody animals and birds on my last South Georgia expedition. The big male Elephant Seals led the league in gory wounds, wounds that were received in territorial/breeding dominance battles with other large males. King Penguins were not far behind but this wound in today’s featured image was the most gruesome by far. “It is possibly a prop injury but those would likely be on the penguin’s back” said Expedition Leader Ted Cheeseman when I shared this image with him. But he was not big on the wound having been caused by either a Leopard Seal or an Orca. Who knows? If you have a theory you are invited to share it with us here by leaving a comment.
This image is in stark contrast to the typically beautiful images made of this most handsome and colorful subject. I have spent hours and hours creating tight abstracts of the patterns on the necks of King Penguins. Life goes on. And in this case, sure death.
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All images on the card were created on the 2015 Cheesemans’ South Georgia Expedition. From top left clockwise to center: King Penguin resting on Snow, Fortuna Bay; Macaroni Penguin in snow, Cooper Island; Grey-headed Albatross, Elsehul; King Penguin neck abstract, Godthul; Northern Giant Petrel, Undine Harbor; adult Wandering Albatross, Prion Island; Elephant Seal, Undine Harbor; South Georgia Pipit fledgling/thanks Joe Kaplan! Fortuna Bay; high key King Penguins in snow, Fortuna Bay.
Card design and all images copyright 2015: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
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The Cheesemans’ 2016 OCT/NOV South Georgia/Falklands Expedition
If reading last Saturday’s blog post here put a thought in your mind about joining the BIRDS AS ART group on the Cheesemans’ 2016 OCT/NOV South Georgia/Falklands Expedition, please shoot me an e-mail with the words “Cheesemans’ Last South Georgia Expedition” cut and pasted into the Subject Line with any questions or if you wish to receive additional inspiration. This will surely be my last ship-based trip to the Southern Ocean as well.
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All of the images on this card were created in the Falklands on the 2014 Cheesemans’ Southern Oceans Expedition. From top left clockwise to center: Black-browed Albatross tending chick, Steeple Jason Island; Black-browed Albatross courting pair, New Island; the Black-browed Albatross colony at Steeple Jason Island; Black-browed Albatross landing, New Island; King Cormorant head portrait, New Island; hull detail/derelict minesweeper, New Island; Rockhopper Penguin head portrait in bright sun, New Island; Striated Caracara, Steeple Jason Island; Magellanic Snipe chick, Sea Lion Island.
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An Expedition Overview
Experience the vibrant spring of South Georgia, a true Antarctic wildlife paradise. Observe and photograph wildlife behaviors seldom seen beneath the towering, snow-blanketed mountains that dominate the island’s landscape. Southern Elephant Seal bulls fight for breeding rights while females nurse young, overlook vast colonies of loafing King Penguins, watch Macaroni Penguins cavort in the snow, photograph handsome Gray-headed Albatrosses in flight or attending to their cliffside nests and awkward Wandering Albatrosses attempting first flight. The itinerary includes six landing days on South Georgia and three landing days in the Falklands to observe too cute Rockhopper Penguins, Magellanic Penguins standing watch at their nesting burrows, and more Black-browed Albatrosses than you could ever imagine. To commemorate Shackleton’s famous self-rescue crossing South Georgia, CES also offers an optional trek retracing his steps. With Cheesemans’ twenty years of experience in the Antarctic region, they commit to an in-depth exploration of one of the densest wildlife spectacles found anywhere in the world, and with only 100 passengers, they routinely give you the opportunity to completely immerse yourself on each landing.
Two of the scheduled Falklands’ landings, New Island and especially Steeple Jason Island, rival the best locations on South Georgia. Those will likely include Salisbury Plain, St. Andrews Bay, Elsehul, Fortuna Bay, and either Cooper Island or Hercules Bay (for Macaroni Penguins).
Why Sign Up Through BIRDS AS ART?
If you have been thinking and dreaming of finally visiting South Georgia, this is the trip for you. There will likely never be another trip like this as the best outfit in the Southern Oceans business will not be returning after 2016…. Quit dreaming and act now. Though I will not be an expedition staff member on this trip, those who have traveled with me know that I cannot help but teach. And I will be doing a introductory photography program for the entire ship on our crossing to South Georgia. All who sign up via BAA will receive a free copy the new Southern Ocean Photography Guide (a $100 value) that I am currently working on. It will include pre-trip gear and clothing recommendations and a ton of info that you will find to be invaluable.
I will hold informal pre-landing briefings aboard ship so that when you land you know exactly what to expect and where to go. I will be available on the ship to review your images, answer your questions, and conduct informal over-the shoulder Photoshop sessions. And best of all, everyone who signs up under the auspices of BAA are invited to tag along with me on the landings where I will be glad to offer invaluable in-the-field advice. And the same goes for the shipboard birds in flight and marine mammal photographic sessions.
Again, if you would like to join me on what will truly be a once in a lifetime opportunity to a wondrous place, please shoot me an e-mail with the words “Cheesemans’ Last South Georgia Expedition” cut and pasted into the Subject Line.
You can learn more about the trip here. If you sign up on your own be sure to mention that you would like to be part of the BAA Group. I’d be glad to answer any and all question via e-mail or by phone at 863-692-0906.
Important Notes
#1: If you fail to e-mail me as noted directly above, and register directly with CES you MUST let them know that you would like to be part of the BIRDS AS ART group.
#2: Joining the BIRDS AS ART group as above will not cost you one penny.
For additional details on the trip and the ship, see Saturday’s blog post here.
Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. B&H is recommended for you major photography gear purchases, Amazon for your household, entertainment, and general purpose stuff. 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.
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You can check these great holiday offers plus free next day shipping by clicking here.
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B&H Free Next Day Holiday Shipping (on Selected Items)
Just two more days!
Click here and then either click on a category or a brand of by clicking on the red See All Qualified Items box. This deal is just what the holidays ordered. From now till December 23rd.
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 🙂
December 20th, 2015 What’s Up?
I spent a few hours nearly finishing up the 2015 Bosque Current Conditions Guide and an equal amount of time doing critiques on BirdPhotographers.Net where honest critiques are done gently. BPN: it ain’t just birds. With my insane travel schedule, the upcoming San Diego exhibit, and the Bosque IPTs, I have not been spending much time there lately.
Amazing 7D Mark II/PIXMA PRO-100 Printer Kit Deal
Get a 7D II for a ridiculous $1049 and a free PIXMA PRO-100 Printer. With paper!
Y’all know how much I love my 7D II. Heck, look no further than today’s featured image to check out the amazing image quality. That plus the 7D II’s 1.6 crop factor which gives you lots of extra reach with lots of pixels. Also included within this kit is the PIXMA PRO-100 wireless inkjet printer, which prints up to 4800 x 2400 dpi and supports media up to 13 x 19″. An eight-color ink system realizes true color rendition and incorporates three monochrome inks for enhanced density and black and white printing capabilities.
What’s in the Kit?
Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR Camera (Body Only)
Canon PIXMA PRO-100 Wireless Professional Inkjet Photo Printer
Canon SG-201 Photo Paper Plus Semi-Gloss (13 x 19″, 50 Sheets)
Ruggard Commando 36 DSLR Shoulder Bag
SanDisk 32GB Ultra UHS-I SDHC Memory Card (Class 10)
Please note that there is a $350 mail-in rebate with this offer.
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This image was created on the 2015 Cheesemans’ South Georgia Expedition with the Induro GIT 304L tripod/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode.
Center AF point (Manual selection)/AI Servo/Rear Focus AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure. The active AF point was just below and behind the bird’s gape. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.
Macaroni Penguin head portrait in snow
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How Often Do We Get a Second Chance?
On my 2012 Cheesemans’ Southern Ocean Expedition I snoozed and lost when I decided–worried about my left knee–to stay on the ship on the Cooper Bay landing in a big snowstorm. Thanks to the kindness of friends, you can see what I missed in the November 18, 2012 blog post here.
There was lots of snow on the ground on the 11/6 landing on the great 2015 South Georgia Expedition. There was no way I was gonna miss that landing. And as fate would have it, there was lots of snow on the ground. I brought both the 100-400II and the new 400 DO II up the hill along with a 1D X, a 7D II, and both teleconverters. As the snow and the large stands of tussock grass made it hard to move around I got myself a good seat on a small mound and waited for the birds to oblige. They did.
I went super long with the 400 DO II, the 2X III TC, and the 7D II. With the cloudy bright conditions and all that snow, I was fine working at ISO 400. I set the exposure manually to two stops above the reading off the snow. I stopped down to f/11 both for a little extra sharpness as compared to f/8 and for a bit of extra depth of field; I knew that I would be working tight. The closer you are to the minimum focusing distance of your lens the more you need some extra d-o-f.
I created more than 700 images that morning and kept about 150 of them. This is the single frame that thrilled me. I guess that redemption might just be best served cold. 🙂
Exposure Question
If I set the exposure to two stops above the meter reading off the snow why did the analogue scale show only +2/3 stop as framed?
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All images on the card were created on the 2015 Cheesemans’ South Georgia Expedition. From top left clockwise to center: King Penguin resting on Snow, Fortuna Bay; Macaroni Penguin in snow, Cooper Island; Grey-headed Albatross, Elsehul; King Penguin neck abstract, Godthul; Northern Giant Petrel, Undine Harbor; adult Wandering Albatross, Prion Island; Elephant Seal, Undine Harbor; South Georgia Pipit fledgling/thanks Joe Kaplan! Fortuna Bay; high key King Penguins in snow, Fortuna Bay.
Card design and all images copyright 2015: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
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The Cheesemans’ 2016 OCT/NOV South Georgia/Falklands Expedition
If reading last Saturday’s blog post here put a thought in your mind about joining the BIRDS AS ART group on the Cheesemans’ 2016 OCT/NOV South Georgia/Falklands Expedition, please shoot me an e-mail with the words “Cheesemans’ Last South Georgia Expedition” cut and pasted into the Subject Line with any questions or if you wish to receive additional inspiration. This will surely be my last ship-based trip to the Southern Ocean as well.
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All of the images on this card were created in the Falklands on the 2014 Cheesemans’ Southern Oceans Expedition. From top left clockwise to center: Black-browed Albatross tending chick, Steeple Jason Island; Black-browed Albatross courting pair, New Island; the Black-browed Albatross colony at Steeple Jason Island; Black-browed Albatross landing, New Island; King Cormorant head portrait, New Island; hull detail/derelict minesweeper, New Island; Rockhopper Penguin head portrait in bright sun, New Island; Striated Caracara, Steeple Jason Island; Magellanic Snipe chick, Sea Lion Island.
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An Expedition Overview
Experience the vibrant spring of South Georgia, a true Antarctic wildlife paradise. Observe and photograph wildlife behaviors seldom seen beneath the towering, snow-blanketed mountains that dominate the island’s landscape. Southern Elephant Seal bulls fight for breeding rights while females nurse young, overlook vast colonies of loafing King Penguins, watch Macaroni Penguins cavort in the snow, photograph handsome Gray-headed Albatrosses in flight or attending to their cliffside nests and awkward Wandering Albatrosses attempting first flight. The itinerary includes six landing days on South Georgia and three landing days in the Falklands to observe too cute Rockhopper Penguins, Magellanic Penguins standing watch at their nesting burrows, and more Black-browed Albatrosses than you could ever imagine. To commemorate Shackleton’s famous self-rescue crossing South Georgia, CES also offers an optional trek retracing his steps. With Cheesemans’ twenty years of experience in the Antarctic region, they commit to an in-depth exploration of one of the densest wildlife spectacles found anywhere in the world, and with only 100 passengers, they routinely give you the opportunity to completely immerse yourself on each landing.
Two of the scheduled Falklands’ landings, New Island and especially Steeple Jason Island, rival the best locations on South Georgia. Those will likely include Salisbury Plain, St. Andrews Bay, Elsehul, Fortuna Bay, and either Cooper Island or Hercules Bay (for Macaroni Penguins).
Why Sign Up Through BIRDS AS ART?
If you have been thinking and dreaming of finally visiting South Georgia, this is the trip for you. There will likely never be another trip like this as the best outfit in the Southern Oceans business will not be returning after 2016…. Quit dreaming and act now. Though I will not be an expedition staff member on this trip, those who have traveled with me know that I cannot help but teach. And I will be doing a introductory photography program for the entire ship on our crossing to South Georgia. All who sign up via BAA will receive a free copy the new Southern Ocean Photography Guide (a $100 value) that I am currently working on. It will include pre-trip gear and clothing recommendations and a ton of info that you will find to be invaluable.
I will hold informal pre-landing briefings aboard ship so that when you land you know exactly what to expect and where to go. I will be available on the ship to review your images, answer your questions, and conduct informal over-the shoulder Photoshop sessions. And best of all, everyone who signs up under the auspices of BAA are invited to tag along with me on the landings where I will be glad to offer invaluable in-the-field advice. And the same goes for the shipboard birds in flight and marine mammal photographic sessions.
Again, if you would like to join me on what will truly be a once in a lifetime opportunity to a wondrous place, please shoot me an e-mail with the words “Cheesemans’ Last South Georgia Expedition” cut and pasted into the Subject Line.
You can learn more about the trip here. If you sign up on your own be sure to mention that you would like to be part of the BAA Group. I’d be glad to answer any and all question via e-mail or by phone at 863-692-0906.
Important Notes
#1: If you fail to e-mail me as noted directly above, and register directly with CES you MUST let them know that you would like to be part of the BIRDS AS ART group.
#2: Joining the BIRDS AS ART group as above will not cost you one penny.
For additional details on the trip and the ship, see Saturday’s blog post here.
Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. B&H is recommended for you major photography gear purchases, Amazon for your household, entertainment, and general purpose stuff. 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 🙂
December 19th, 2015 What’s Up
By 9:40pm on Friday evening when I was finishing up work on this blog post, I had answered 88 e-mails today. And I got lots of work done on the 2015 Bosque Current Conditions update. It is turning out to be much more involved then any previous update and includes lots of new tips new and information that is not just specific to 2015….
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You can check these great holiday offers plus free next day shipping by clicking here.
|
B&H Free Next Day Holiday Shipping (on Selected Items)
Click here and then either click on a category or a brand of by clicking on the red See All Qualified Items box.
I did and quickly found a 7D Mark II for the insanely low price of $1399. That price already includes the $400 instant rebate. The icing on the cake includes the 2% reward and the free next day shipping. Just what the holidays ordered. From now till December 23rd.
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This image was created at Bosque del Apache on the 2nd afternoon of the first 2015 IPT with the Induro GIT 304L tripod/Mongoose M3.6-mounted BLUBB-supported Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III,, and the incredible Canon EOS 5DS R. ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/1600 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. AWB.
Center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF just behind and below the base of the bird’s lower mandible was active at the moment of exposure. As a result, the active AF point was precisely on the same plane as the bird’s eye. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.
Snow Goose, tight head portrait of adult
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The Back-story
While working on the 2015 Bosque Current Conditions Update late on Friday afternoon I was looking for some images to illustrate a portion of the text that lets folks know where they might get tight shots of the geese. I could not find what I knew what I had so I went to my “All Pix 6-30-2015” WD 2TB My Passport Ultra Portable Hard Drive (Black), found the 11/23/15 folder, and wound up keeping an additional six images that I had mistakenly overlooked on my first edit. With my new system, started almost six months ago, I keep every RAW file that I create by copying the complete download to the All Pix HD and to my laptop at the same time using Photo Mechanic’s Ingest feature. That way I can never lose a RAW file and I can go back to look for files that I overlooked or possibly some that I might need as source material.
Today’s featured image stood out like a sore thumb. “How in the world did I miss giving that one a check mark???”
Note that the exposure values, 1/1600 sec. at f/9 are just a third stop lighter than my recommended ISO 400 Bright White in the Sun exposure of 1/2500 sec. at f/8. Why 1/3 stop lighter? The sun was getting low. And I checked the histogram.
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This is an unsharpened 100% crop of today’s featured image. It wound up being 1200 pixels wide and is displayed here at 800 pixels wide after being optimized to < 395 kb (from about 475 kb). Click on the image if you dare to see a larger version....
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The Sickest-ever Canon EOS 5DS R 100% Crop…
If this one does not leave you slack-jawed….
Coming Soon
Quite soon I will attempt to present a cogent examination of both the facts and my gut feeling that you need to keep your rig steadier when using a 5DS R (or a 5DS and possibly a 7D Mark II) than when using the same lens any other Canon camera bodies. There are lots of complex issues and I am sure that there will be lots of civil disagreements. I do not permit any other type 🙂
My New 5DS R
On Tuesday past I purchased my affiliate loaner Canon EOS 5DS R camera body from B&H. On Wednesday I got an e-mail with a $325 B&H gift card as a result of my purchase. Wow! On Friday evening (Shabbos at B&H) the 10% Reward was still n effect. If you call on Sunday to check remember that you must hang up and place a web order (no matter what the salesman tells you). Many thanks for that. If what you have been learning here inspires you to purchase a 5DS R (or a 5DS), please remember to use the logo-link above; it will not cost you a penny and helps me out tremendously. Many thanks, artie
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 🙂
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