March 28th, 2011

BIRDS AS ART BULLETIN #367

FEATURES

  • THE HOMER IPTs
  • THE BLOG IS THE BOMB!
  • Brian Zwiebel’s “Site Guide to Barrow, AK for Photographers and Birders”
  • Alan Murphy’s “Guide to Songbird Set-up Photography”
  • IPT UPDATES

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This sunset silhouette was created with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens with the 2X III TC (hand held at 400mm) and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/5000 sec. at f/5.6. Color temperature set to 9000K. To learn to enhance the color of your silhouettes before, during, and after capture click here.

THE HOMER IPTs

When I arrived in Homer, the weather was not too bad but the forecast was horrific: rain and snow for the next ten days. Well, I am glad to say that the weatherman here is just as bad as the weatherman in Greece was. Each IPT group has enjoyed more than its fair share of sun and lots of cloudy bright conditions. We’ve had brief periods of snow flurries and a single foggy morning but have not had a drop of rain….

The most common comment from the participants has gone something like this: “I expected great things from this IPT but after two days I must say that it has far exceeded my expectations.”

I will feature a complete Homer IPT report in a Bulletin once I get home.

Got this from multiple-IPT veteran Carl Zanoni via e-mail yesterday:

Greetings Artie & Robert, The Bald Eagle IPT in Homer was spectacular. I had lots of great opportunities, lots of fun, learned lots, & got some fine images with a terrific group of folks. I cannot thank each of you enough for making the IPT such a wonderful experience. From an ecstatic camper, Carl

ps: I may very well repeat the Homer Bald Eagle IPT next year!

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This top-shot/dorsal view image of a banking adult Bald Eagle was created with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens with the 1.4X III TC (hand held at 280mm) and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops off the somewhat gray sky: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6

THE BLOG IS THE BOMB!

I continue to put 20+ hours a week towards making the blog informative, timely, and beautiful. Many of the educational features that formerly appeared in BAA Bulletins now grace the BAA Blog. If you are not subscribed, you are missing a ton of great stuff almost daily. You can subscribe to the blog posts by clicking here. Here are some recent posts of interest:

I Can’t Believe I Forgot This One: The skinny on the lightweight Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS lens.

Since You Asked… & Comments on the Comments: A very cool image of yours truly and a baby Green Heron along with my comments on Comments; how to get the most out of the blog.

For more tales of Homer and lots more great eagle images check out First Day Homer Favorite, Universal Advice for Better Flight Photography with a Zoom Lens, and Finally, Finally, and Finally in Homer! (The last link details one of the greatest photography days of my life!)

Lens Align Mark II Follow-up. I micro-adjusted all of my bodies and gear before the Homer trip. I learned a lot and answered some Lens Align questions. This of course generated more questions 🙂 Micheal Tapes contributed his thoughts in the Comments.

Click on the link to learn Who, What, or Where is Ray Morris-Hill?

Learn to make your silhouettes BLACKER and your sky colors richer in the Enhancing Silhouettes blog post.

As you know, I love creating pleasing blurs. On a foggy ISO 800 morning, I never used a shutter speed above 1/30 second! Check out my favorites from A Blurry Morning in Homer.

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This stand of trees died of salt water intrusion after the earth was uplifted during the 1964 earthquake. The image was created with the Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/13 sec. at f/10. From an anchored 30 foot boat! To learn to created pleasingly blurred images of a variety of natural history subjects check out A Guide to Pleasing Blurs by Denise Ippolito and yours truly.

Brian Zwiebel’s “Site Guide to Barrow, Alaska for Photographers and Birders”

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BIRDS AS ART books is proud to announce the publication of Brian Zwiebel’s “Site Guide to Barrow, AK for Photographers and Birders.” This e-book is an 88 page pdf that is sent by e-mail. Brian’s site guide is another in the long line of unique and fantastic educational materials brought to you by BAA. Learn more here. It is good to know that each featured item will be part of my legacy.

I first visited Barrow, AK in a previous life, with film. I went on my own. It was a very disappointing trip. I photographed a very few of the common shorebirds. I saw one or two eiders at distances of a thousand yards. I searched the vast tundra almost completely in vain, not knowing where to look for what. I caught an early flight home.

In June, 2010 I returned to Barrow with Brian L. Zwiebel as my guide. We found and photographed every target shorebird species but one, the elusive and lovely Buff-breasted Sandpiper. We photographed all three species of eiders at close range. In gorgeous settings, in great light. I learned of new and productive spots right in town. I learned new techniques and strategies. I saw and photographed several new species. All thanks to Brian’s knowledge and expertise. In “A Site Guide to Barrow, Alaska,” Brian freely shares all of his knowledge and expertise with you. Whether you are a photographer or a birder, heading to Barrow without a copy of the Barrow Site Guide on your laptop would be pure insanity.

You can order your copy of “A Site Guide to Barrow, AK for Photographers and Birders” (an 88 page e-book/pdf sent by e-mail) from BIRDS AS ART by calling Jim at the office at 863-692-0906 with credit card in hand or by sending a PayPal to e-mail. Those who prefer to make their purchases through the BAA On-Line Store can do so by clicking here. And those who prefer to pay by check can send one for $44 made out to “Arthur Morris” to BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855.

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All of the images above are Copyright 2010: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. I created each of them on my June 2010 Barrow trip with Brian Zwiebel as my guide. To see full sized web versions of my favorite Barrow images and to read about my arctic adventure, click here and here.

Alan Murphy’s “Guide to Songbird Set-up Photography”

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Spring is here. The songbirds will be arriving soon. If you would like to learn to create great images in your own backyard or would like to learn to photograph at water features and feeding stations that you have created, get yourself a copy of Alan’s amazing “Guide to Songbird Set-up Photography” ($50 on CD only) by clicking here. In addition to teaching you to get your birds to land on the perfect perch, Alan teaches you how to capture images of songbirds in flight without using active AF!

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Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Hidalgo Co, South TX. Image copyright 2011/Alan Murphy. Nikon 300 mm, f 2.8 VR lens, and the Nikon D3. ISO 1250. Evaluative metering : 1/4000 sec. at f/6.3.

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Northern Cardinal, Hidalgo Co, South TX. Image copyright 2011/Alan Murphy. Nikon 600 mm, f 4 VR lens, and the Nikon D3. ISO 640. Evaluative metering -0.3 : 1/2500 sec. at f/8

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