January 24th, 2013

BIRDS AS ART BULLETIN #430

  • Orlando Camera Club Program, Monday, January 28, 2013
  • Galt Winter Bird Festival Keynote Presentation, near Sacramento, CA: Friday, January 25, 2013
  • The Blog is the Bomb!
  • Fort DeSoto Morning In-the-Field Workshop
  • Weekend Creative Nature Photography Seminar, Tampa, FL: February 23 & 24
  • Swan Island Dahlia Farm Instructional Photo-Tour
  • Canon Live Learning/Birds of the Everglades/Destination Photography Workshop/Still 2 Openings!
  • Posse News: Jim Neiger
  • Posse News: Robert Amoruso
  • Used Camera Gear/Including Some Great New Stuff of Mine
  • IPT Info

Orlando Camera Club Program, Monday, January 28, 2013

On Monday, January 28, 2013 I will be presenting “A Bird Photographer’s Story” for the Orlando Camera Club at 6:30pm. The event is being generously sponsored by Canon USA/Explorers of Light and is free and open to the public. Click here for the location and a link to directions. A selection of books, CDs, and photo gear will be available for purchase. Please e-mail if you would like me to bring something specific in the way of accessories or photo gear.

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Galt Winter Bird Festival Keynote Presentation, near Sacramento, CA: Friday, January 25, 2013

I will be presenting, “Choosing and Using Lenses for Bird and Nature Photography” at the Galt Winter Bird Festival at 6pm this coming Friday evening, Friday, January 25, 2013. The keynote event, sponsored by Canon USA/Explorers of Light, is free and open to the public. The program will take place at the Cosumnes River College a bit south of Sacramento, CA. Click here for additional details.

Those who will be in attendance are invited to contact me via e-mail to explore the possibility of photographing together on Saturday the 26th.

The Blog is the Bomb

I continue to put in 20+ hours a week towards making the blog informative, timely, and beautiful. Most 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. If you have a problem subscribing, please contact us via e-mail.

Here are some links to recent posts of interest:

The 1D X JPEG Detective Story Mystery begins here with “Shooting Blanks: Do As I Say, Not As I Do” and ends here with “EOS-1D X News: It Was All My Fault…”

Check out my surprising conclusions as to which is best by far, the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II or the Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS lenses here.

Like flowers or photography? Check out Depth-of-Field Lesson.

Learn why I love my 5D Mark III here.

Want to learn to be a more creative photographer? Check out “Blacklight and Creativity.”

In “Chestnut-mandibled Toucan Magic” I shared my NIK Color Efex Pro repost of a fine image from the Avian forum at BPN (Bird Photographer’s.Net).

If you have ever misplaced something near and dear to you you will enjoy reading “Barnegat Miracle.

In “Two Drake Harlequin Duck Images; So Many Lessons” there are tips on using NIK Tonal Contrast’s Tonal Contrast and Detail Extractor filters judiciously and why to use Rear Focus along with the usual image clean-up magic.

How good a flight photography camera is the Canon EOS-1D X? Click here to find out.

You’ll want to bookmark this one: click here for complete specifications and info on all Canon telephoto lenses. Includes weights in lbs and kgs, minimum focusing distance in feet and meters, filter size, and year of introduction.

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This Great Egret sunrise silhouette image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Autofocus lens and the Canon EOS-1D X digital SLR . ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/5.6 in Av mode. Central sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the bird and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Do consider joining us for the Fort DeSoto Morning I-T-F Workshop; details below.

Fort DeSoto Morning In-the-Field Workshop

Fort DeSoto In-the-field Workshop: FEB 25. Pre-dawn -10:30am. Limit 16/openings: 10. Includes a great working lunch: $275.

On Monday morning, February 25, Denise Ippolito and I will be co-leading a morning In-the-field Workshop at Fort DeSoto, south of St. Petersburg, FL. We should get to photograph a variety of very tame herons, egrets, gulls, terns, and shorebirds. Spoonbills possible. There will be lots of individual and small group instruction. We will cover exposure and histograms, seeing the situation, creating sharp images, and lots more. Each registrant will have a personalized gear and set-up check. The more questions you ask, the more you will learn.

A great working lunch at the Sea Porch Café on St. Petersburg Beach is included. All are invited to bring a laptop along for image sharing at lunch. After the workshop, all are invited to send us three 1024 wide or 800 tall JPEGs for critiquing. Call 1-863-692-0906 to register or send us a Paypal. Either way, be sure to note that the payment is for the Fort DeSoto In-the-Field Workshop.

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Weekend Creative Nature Photography Seminar, Tampa, FL: February 23 & 24, 2013: $149 Limit: 50/Openings: 4

Best to register soon as there are just 4 seats left. The In-the-field Workshop above follows the weekend seminar. You are invited to join Denise Ippolito and me on the weekend of February 23-24 on the outskirts of Tampa, FL for a great weekend of fun and learning. Learn to improve your photography skills, your skill at designing images in the field, your creative vision, and your image optimization skills. Sunday critiquing session. Click here for additional details and the complete schedule.

Swan Island Dahlia Farm Instructional Photo-Tour

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All images courtesy of and copyright 2012: Denise Ippolito. Click for a larger version.

A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART Swan Island Dahlia Farm Instructional Photo-Tour, September 11-15, 2013: 5 FULL DAYS: $1649

Join Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris at the Swan Island Dahlia Farm in Canby Oregon (just south of Portland) for a great learning and photography experience. Swan Island features more than 40 acres with over 350 varieties of dahlias in a plethora of colors, shapes and sizes, making it one of the largest growers in the United States.

Daily Photo Schedule

We will enjoy four morning (7:00am till 10:30am) and five afternoon (3:30pm till 6pm) photography sessions. While we will do most of our photography at the Swan Island Dahlia Farm, we will also visit the Portland Rose Garden and/or the Portland Japanese Garden on this IPT. The in-the-field instruction will include seeing the situation, the use of selective focus, creative use of depth of field, histogram and exposure guidance, designing creative images, choosing your background, isolating your subject, lens options, and the use of reflectors and diffusers. Our field sessions will include challenging photography assignments geared to make you think creatively. Both personalized and small group instruction will be provided. All times are tentative and subject to change based on the weather and on local conditions.

Seminar Morning: Friday, September 13: 8:30am till 12:30pm

Denise will begin by presenting her “Bloomin’ Ideas” program, an overview of the in-the-field and post-processing techniques that she has used and developed over the past few years to create her signature look. Artie will follow with a Photoshop session that will be geared towards all levels. He’ll be sharing some of his favorite techniques and tips while working on images from the first two days of the IPT. Denise will conclude the seminar portion of the IPT with a Photoshop demo; she will share her creative workflow using a variety of Photoshop filters and effects. The entire morning is designed to give you a peek into the minds of two very skilled and creative folks.

The group will have lunch together daily. All are invited to bring their laptops for image sharing. We hope that you can join us for an intense five days of learning and some of the best flower photography to be had in North America.

Deposit Info and Cancellation Policies:

A $449 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance is due 5 months before the date of the IPT and is also non-refundable. If the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. 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. If your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. We will be short-handed in the office until January 21 so please leave a message and we will call you back. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail

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This image of an adult Wood Stork set against a pastel sky was created on last year’s Canon Live Learning/Birds of the Everglades/Destination Photography Workshop with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Autofocus lens and the unfortunately discontinued EOS-1D Mark IV that has been replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X digital SLR . ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/100 sec. at f/10 in Av mode.

We had several ridiculously tame Wood Storks on last year’s Canon trip.

Canon Live Learning/Birds of the Everglades/Destination Photography Workshop/Still 2 Openings!

Join me in the Everglades for a long weekend of great photography and instruction: February 8-10, 2013, based in Homestead, FL. Click here for more information or to register. Click here for the complete schedule.

Last year a great time was had by all. Denise Ippolito will again be along to help out and share her incredible creativity with the group. Having been so busy with travel, photography, teaching, and family, I have been remiss as far as announcing this event; my understanding is that there are still a very few openings. If you are seriously interested in joining us, do not tarry.

Posse News: Jim Neiger

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Elegant Tern diving. Image courtesy of and copyright 2012: Jim Neiger/Flight School Photography

West Coast Flight Workshops, Orange County, California, July, 2013

Join Veolia-BBC award-winning photographers Jim Neiger and Doug Brown in July, 2013 for a workshop focusing on birds in flight. We’ve selected the area around Huntington Beach, California for its incredible number and variety of birds, not to mention the great weather! In July, Terns will number in the tens of thousands, and there should be no fewer than five different species (Elegant, Forster’s, Caspian, Royal, and Least). Black Skimmers, Pelicans, Egrets, Herons, and Gulls will all be plentiful. There will also be opportunities to photograph more challenging subjects such as raptors, Kingfishers, and shorebirds. These workshops are filled with nonstop flight photography action. If you wish to learn the best techniques for photographing birds in flight and enjoy almost unlimited opportunities to practice these techniques and develop the skills required to become a skilled flight photographer, then this is the workshop for you.

The focus of the workshops will be on mastering the hand held, long lens technique favored by both Jim and Doug. Manual exposure for birds in flight will also be emphasized. There will be an instructional lecture on the first day, followed by morning and afternoon sessions in the field for each of the next three days. As an added feature, you will have the opportunity to hone your Lightroom and Photoshop skills with Jim and Doug during the free time in between field sessions. The workshop will be limited to twelve participants; with two expert instructors available, everyone will receive plenty of individualized attention both in the field and the classroom.

The first workshop, WCF-1, will also feature special guest instructor Arash Hazeghi. With not one, but three expert flight photographers, this workshop should fill up fast. Sign up soon to ensure yourself a spot.

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Elegant Tern flipping small fish. Image courtesy of and copyright 2012: Jim Neiger/Flight School Photography

Workshop Dates

Workshop WCF-1: July 6-9, 2013 ……… Workshop WCF-2: July 10-13, 2013

Workshop Cost and payment

The cost of each workshop is $1250 per person. Each workshop includes a half day formal classroom instruction session, a morning photography session, and an afternoon photography session, each of the remaining days. The photography sessions include personalized instruction in the field. A $625 non-refundable deposit is required for the workshops. The remaining $625 is due 30 days before the start date of the workshop. If you are unable to attend the workshop after paying the balance, the balance payment will be refunded ONLY if your spot can be filled on short notice from the waiting list. All workshop payments must be made by check or money order. Credit cards are not accepted. Learn more here.

Please make checks payable to Doug Brown and send them to: Doug Brown, 13705 Elena Gallegos Pl. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111.

Requirements

Participants should have working knowledge of how to create a properly exposed image, a telephoto lens of 400mm or more (300mm with a teleconverter is acceptable), and be physically capable of holding their camera and lens up to their eye in shooting position for at least 20 seconds. Participants must also have a vehicle to travel to and from the photography locations.

Contact Info

For additional information, contact Jim by phone at 407-247-5200 or via e-mail.

Website

Vist Jim’s website here.

Posse News: Robert Amoruso

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Note: Robert leads trips to two great spots that I used to visit regularly when I lived in Deltona, FL and traveled a lot less than I do now! I will be getting up to Gatorland this spring and hope to make it back to St. Augustine in May or June. I know that Robert knows his stuff because I taught him. 🙂

Avian Rookery Photographic Workshops

Join Robert at Gatorland (February 23–24, March 23–24, April 12 to 14, or May 18–19) or St. Augustine Alligator Farm (April 26 to 28). Both of these native avian rookeries allow unparalleled up-close access to beautiful birds in full breeding plumage and to mating and nesting birds. Morning and afternoon classroom presentations include “Successful Strategies in Avian Rookery Photography” (a mainstay of my rookery programs), “Manual Exposure” and image editing and post-processing workflows. The three-day workshop adds indoor presentations on thinking creatively including my presentation “How I Create”. In-the-field instruction includes learning to isolate your subject, understanding light, getting the proper exposure, using depth of field to your advantage, fill-flash, and lots more. Classroom sessions are held onsite at Gatorland. A CD with lesson plans is included. Prices lower than 2012. Book now as they fill fast.

Learn more here.

Private Photographic Instructional Workshops

As good as a group workshop can be, sometimes private one-on-one instruction is the ticket. My private workshops cater to your individual needs. In advance of the workshop we will discuss your objectives and how they can best be met. Then I design your workshop to meet those goals. These workshops generally include areas close to my home as I know them well but I can travel to other locations in Florida if you have a specific locale in mind.

Learn more here.

Robert is an Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART approved photographic instructor. Learn more about Robert and check out his images here. You can contact him with questions via e-mail or call him on his cell: 407-808-7417.

Used Camera Gear Including Some Great New Items

Arthur Morris

I am offering the following used gear for sale:

EOS-1D Mark IV/SOLD

I got my remaining EOS-1D Mark IV back from the Canon facility at Jamesburg, NJ where it underwent a general clean and check. I took it down to the lake last week for a test drive and as you can see here, it performed superbly. colors.

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Professional Digital camera body in good to very good condition: $2800. Body well used with a faint scratch on the rear LCD. In perfect working order. Sale includes the original box, all the cables and CDs, camera strap, battery charger, and an extra Canon battery. You will need to download a copy of the camera body manual. I will pay for insured shipping via United Parcel Ground. Unless you show up at my house with cash you will need to send a personal check and wait until it clears as I got burned for more than $3K a few years back on the sale of a used 1D Mark III. If you are seriously interested please e-mail.

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS Lens

I am offering my used Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS Lens in very good to excellent condition for a ridiculously low $9,500. The sale price includes a P-50 Wimberley Lens Plate and the lens trunk (carrying case). I will pay for insured UPS ground shipping anywhere in the US. This lens quickly became my all-time favorite super-telephoto lens and made a great many of the images that have appeared on the blog and in the bulletins for the past several years. If you are seriously interested please e-mail.

Ramona Boone

Ramona is offering the following used items for sale:

Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS lens with its trunk, leather cover, hood, rear lens cap, drop in filter holder, forest green Lens Coat, strap, and 4th generation NP 51 low foot. All in very good condition. Just serviced by Canon: $5900.

Please contact Ramona with any questions: 1-719 231 5874 or via e-mail.

Mary Dillon

Mary is offering a used Canon (USA) EF 400mm DO-IS f/4.0 (USM) lens for sale for $5,300.00, firm. No taxes or buyers fees plus free shipping to anywhere in USA. The lens, used only twice, is in like-new condition. Purchase includes lens hood, strap, protective cover, manual and storage case – plus tripod collar and Wimberley Arca-Swiss P-20 Lens Plate. (No key for the carrying case but can get from Canon USA if this is a problem.)

Shipping is first business day after funds are received via USPS, Priority with insurance and delivery confirmation. Accepted form of payment: PayPal (which includes credit cards). No money orders or money grams. Serious folks can contact Mary by phone/text at 512-366-0320 (CST) or via e-mail

I used and loved the 400 DO for years. It is a great flight lens, great from any type of watercraft, and, at only 4.28 pounds, makes a great super-telephoto prime for folks who cannot carry either 500mm f/4 L IS lens. It weighs less then 4 pounds with the removable tripod collar removed. Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II: 5.19 pounds–tripod collar not removable. Canon 500mm f/4L IS II lens: 7.04 pounds. Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens: 8.54 pounds. You can check out the weights and specs for all Canon telephoto lenses here.

Denise Ippolito

Denise Ippolito is offering a Canon EOS-5D Full Frame Sensor 12 mp Digital SLR Camera in excellent condition for $800.00. Please contact Denise via e-mail.

Steve Vige

Steve Vige is offering the following used gear for sale:

Canon 70-200 f4L IS lens (price reduced!) in excellent condition includes pouch and original Canon box: $899 buyer pays shipping.

Please contact Steve on his cell at 661-305-0307 or via e-mail. Note: I used this sharp, lightweight lens for about two years and loved it.

Shelly Goldstein/Price Reduction

Multiple IPT-veteran and all around nice guy Sheldon Goldstein is offering the following Canon lenses for sale; each of them has recently been checked and cleaned by Canon Jamesburg. Wire transfers preferred or wait until your check clears. All sales include shipping and insurance.

Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens in excellent condition with LensCoat, the RRS LCF-50 Arca style replacement foot, the original foot with all the screws, and all the original stuff including the lens trunk and leather hood. This one is an absolute steal at $6699.

Contact Shelly by phone at 1-646-423-0392 or via e-mail.

Typos

On all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

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And from the BAA On-line Store:

LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sales value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂 And you will love them in mega-cold weather….
Gizo GT3532 LS CF Tripod. This one replaces the GT3530LS Tripod and will last you a lifetime. Learn more about this great tripod here.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
BreezeBrowser. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program.
Delkin Flash Cards. I use and depend on Delkin compact Flash Cards and card readers most every day. Learn more about their great 700X and 1000X cards here or about my favorite Delkin card here.

5 comments to BIRDS AS ART BULLETIN #430

  • avatar john nelson

    artie i live in breezy point and all the beaches on the coast line are a complete mess because of sandy.these beaches including the marches in and around the jamaica wildlife center.

  • avatar Allan Warner

    Any chance of putting together a post-dahlia IPT birding mini-IPT while you are out in Oregon?

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Hi Allan, What’s around to photograph at that time of year, and where? I will be doing lots of long lens dahlia photography! artie

  • avatar Carl Mohr

    I noticed that most of your bulletin’s picture info say “tripod mounted;” even though all your lenses have IS. Is it because they are long telephoto and too heavy?

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Hi Carl, Most 500s and 600s and the 800 are too heavy for many folks to hand hold for more than a minute or so. The new 500II can be hand held by most folks without too much difficulty and there are a few who hand hold the new 600II all the time. Not me:). artie