This captive Gyrfalcon was photographed in 2006 in Nome, AK with the tripod-mounted Canon 500mm f/4L IS (soon to be replaced by the Canon 500mm f/4L IS II) and the EOS-1Ds Mark II (now replaced by the EOS-1D Mark III soon to be replaced by the EOS-1DX; confused?) ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/10 in Manual mode. Central sensor One-Shot AF and recompose. Click on the image for a larger version. This bird belonged to licensed falconer John Earthman. Captive bird images were eligible to be entered in the recently concluded BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition. Click here to view and judge the best images in the Captive category or read on for additional details.

Contest News/You Be the Judge: Captive Category

The judging has been completed in the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition. We are thrilled with the quality of the winning and honored images. Over the course of the next few weeks each of you will have a chance to judge the selected images in each contest category. A tally of the public vote along with the actual winning images for each category will be announced approximately 48 hours after each posting. The ten images that went to the judges in the Captive category have been posted. Join the fun and compare your eye and photographic vision with those of the five skilled professional judges. Click here to view the images and to add your votes to the tally.

This pair of adult Purple Martins was photographed at Bay City, Oregon with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the 1.4X III TC, and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at +1 1/3 stops as framed: 1/125 sec. at f/20 in Manual mode at 7:37 am on a clear morning. Central sensor (by necessity) AI Servo/Rear Focus AF on the front bird’s face and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. Here, I went to f/20 in an effort to render both birds sharp. Compare these settings with those on the images that appear in the Purple Martin Magic blog post here. See the image processing animated GIF below.

The Blog is the Bomb

I continue to put in 20+ hours a week towards making the blog informative, timely, and beautiful. And it has been paying off. The blog alone had 462,178 page views and 3,839,749 hits in March 2012 alone! 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. Below are some recent posts of interest.

Cast your vote for the best images in the Captive Category in the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition by clicking here.

See and learn about a unique Purple Martin colony in Purple Martin Magic.

See the results of the Nature’s Best Image Quiz here.

Check out “EOS-1DX, EOS-5D Mark III, & EOS-1D Mark IV Thoughts” here.

Everything that you ever wanted to know about Canon telphoto lenses in a simple, easy to read chart. You will surely want to bookmark this post.

If you’ve been dreaming of making a trip to the Antarctic Continent you will surely want to click here.

Remember, you can subscribe to the blog posts by clicking here. Coming soon there will be a detailed comparison of the 800mm f/5.6L IS and the long-awaited 600mm f/4L IS II in response to a zillion e-mails.

Digital Basics

Learn to optimize your images quickly and expertly. You will learn exactly how I convert and process my images in Digital Basics which includes my complete digital workflow as well as dozens and dozens of Photoshop tips. In the Purple Martin image above I corrected the color cast in the original image using a Selective Color adjustment on the WHITEs, added a Layer Mask, and then erased the two birds. In the animated GIF above note also that I have sharpened the bird’s faces with a contrast mask and lightened them with a Curves adjustment on that layer. If you are tired of ruining your images instead of improving them you need a copy of Digital Basics now.

The Amazing Image

Polar Bear Photo Tours, Photo Tours, Photography Workshops, Classes & Lessons

Photographic Travels with Charlie, Charlie MacPherson that is. Click here for Charlie’s blog. Click here for info on the Kaktovik, Alaska Polar Bear Tour. And click here for info on photography classes at the South Shore Natural Science Center in Norwell, MA and the South Shore YMCA in Hanover, MA.

The above is a paid advertisement.

Used Canon EOS-60D for Sale

David McNicholas is offering a used Canon EOS-60D digital camera body in excellent condition–no marks and no problems, for sale for $800; insured shipping at the buyer’s expense. In the original box with all cables, straps, manuals,battery, charger and software disc. Includes one 2GB SD memory card.
SHIPPING : within the US at buyers expense. For more information or to purchase contact David by e-mail dmcnicholas@comcast.net or on his mobile phone at 973-452-4940.

B&H Double Rebates Include the 5D Mark III

Click here. Select one of four current Canon camera bodies–both the EOS-5D Mark III and the EOS-7D are in the group. Add a lens–there are 30 in the group, a Series III teleconverter, or a Speedlite, and enjoy large double rebates. The lenses include lots of my favorites: the 70-200mm f/4 L IS, the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, the circle lens, the 180 macro, and the 300mm f/4L IS. You can check the specs on all Canon telephoto lenses here. This double rebate offer expires on April 2, 2012.

Nikon Dslr + Lens Bundle Rebates

Click here for details. Offer includes the brand new D3200 and the D7000.

Shopper’s Guide.

Support both the Bulletins and the Blog by making all your B & H purchases here.

Below is a list of the gear talked about in this blog post. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon EF 1.4X III TC. This new TC is designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. The very best professional digital camera body that I have ever used.

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….
Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
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.
CR-80 Replacement Foot for Canon 800. When using the 800 on a Mongoose as I do, replacing the lens foot with this accessory lets the lens sit like a dog whether pointed up or down and prevents wind-blown spinning of your lens on breezy days by centering the lens directly over the tripod.
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.

BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo Tours (IPTs)

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) General Information.

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Deposit and Cancellation Policies.

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Registration and Release Forms.

KATMAI BEAR BOAT IPT: July 24-31, 2012 from Kodiak, AK: $6699. Limit 6/Openings 2. Coastal Brown Bears (Grizzlies) Galore!

Coastal Brown Bears at point blank range foraging & clamming with a good chance of copulations; cubs nursing and playing. Likely additional subjects include Horned and Tufted Puffins, nesting Bald Eagle and Black-legged Kittiwake, Steller’s Sea Lion, rafts of Sea Otters and more. Halibut fishing optional.

BOSQUE del APACHE 2012 IPT: “The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 21-27, 2012. 7-FULL DAYS: $3399. Introductory Slide program: 6:30 pm on 11/20. Limit: 12/Openings 5.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks including point-blank American Wigeon and Wood Duck, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with one of (if not the) world’s premier photographic educators at one of his very favorite locations on the planet. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 18 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for me. Nobody knows the place better than I do. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the light and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable.

SW FLA IPT. FEB 16-21, 2013. Introductory slide program: 7pm on 2/15. 6-FULL DAYS: $2999. Limit: 10/Openings 7.

Co-leaders: TBA. My bread and butter trip; learn the basics and the advanced fine points from the best; escape winter’s icy grip and enjoy tons of tame birds! Subjects will include nesting Great Blue Heron and Great Egret, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Mottled Duck, Brown and White Pelican at point-blank range, Snowy & Reddish Egret, Tricolored Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Osprey, wintering shorebirds and plovers, gulls and terns, & Burrowing Owl. All ridiculously tame.

Click here to learn more about this IPT.

GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience. July 2-16, 2013 on the boat. 13 FULL and two 1/2 days of photography: $12,749. Limit 13/Openings: 6.

July 2-16, 2013 on the boat. Fly to Quito on June 30. Travel insurance day: July 1. Fly to the archipelago on July 2. Get off the boat on July 16. Spend that afternoon and evening in Puerto Ayora (lunch & dinner on your own). Fly to Quito on July 17. Fly home on the early morning of July 18. $12,749 includes just about everything including all transfers, guide and park fees, all food on the boat, your flights to the archipelago, and four nights in top notch hotels–three in Quito and one on Puerto Ayora. Non-refundable deposit: $5,000. Limit 14 including the leader/Openings: 8

Briefly, my two-week trips are without equal. The world’s best guide, a killer itinerary, a great boat (the Samba), and the best leader with seven Galapagos cruises under his belt. The great spots include Tower Island (including Prince Phillips Steps and Darwin Bay), Hood Island (including Punta Suarez, the world’s only nesting site of Waved Albatross, and Gardner Bay)—each of the preceding are world class wildlife photography designations that rank right up there with Antarctica, Africa, and Midway), Fernandina, Puerto Ayora for the tortoises, Puerto Egas—James Bay, North Seymour, South Plaza, Black Turtle Cove, Floreana, Urbina Bay, and China Hat. Plus tons more. And lots of snorkeling for those who wish to partake. All park fees, meals except as noted above, guide fees, ground transportation, and the flights to and from the Galapagos are included.

Tim Laman often spends a month in a single tree in rain forest in Southeast Asia in hopes of photographing and videoing a rare Bird of Paradise species displaying. All the while living in a bug-infested tent. So you wanna be a National Geographic photographer do you?

NG Photographer Tim Laman Fills in as Contest Judge for Honeymooning Andy Rouse

With 20 National Geographic Magazine articles, 10 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year honored images, and 7 Nature’s Best honored images my friend and professional colleague Tim Laman is more than well-qualified to fill in for Andy Rouse who is on his honeymoon at the time of judging (that being now–see more below). Andy’s absence is surely due to the one-month extension. Thanks a stack to Tim for pitching in. Especially since he is under the gun putting the finishing touches on his latest book, a National Geographic publication on Birds of Paradise.

Tim is a Ph.D. rain forest biologist with a thirst for exploration who discovered he had an artistic side and has turned his camera into a tool for communicating the stories of earth’s little-known and endangered species and wild places. From the canopy of the rain forest to the coral reef depths, Tim spends many months each year on expeditions to study and document the biodiversity of earth’s richest realms for National Geographic magazine and other top publications.

You can view a sampling of Tim’s photography and learn about the research, exploration, and conservation projects he is involved by clicking here. You will be amazed if you take a few minutes to enjoy the various still and video galleries. And you can learn lots more about this amazing man and photographer by clicking here.

Red Bird of Paradise. Image courtesy of and copyright Tim Laman

CONTEST NEWS

For three straight days beginning on Tuesday May 1 Peter Kes, Denise Ippolito, and I spent about 24 hours doing the initial cuts on the more than 5,500 images entered in the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition. On the first round we got down to about 500 images. After the second round we wound up with 163 images in eleven categories to go to the judges. While working through that many images was tedious it was also thrilling as we came across gem after gem. Getting to 163 images from the 500 that survived the first cut took about twice a long as it did to go from 5,500 down to 500. We were meticulous. When it was time to cut a very good image, we asked each other the same question: if this image were awarded a prize would you be happy with it?

Here’s a huge thanks to Denise and Peter for their hard work earlier this week. It was Denise who first came up with the idea of a BAA contest. And it was Peter who did 99% of the behind the scenes work that got the contest off the ground. He designed the upload and the judging pages from scratch and helped dozens of folks who had difficulties uploading their images. Kudos also to my right-hand man Jim Litzenberg who likewise assisted many of you with your registrations and passwords. We learned a ton and made a few mistakes along the way (especially me). Next year things will much smoother.

Darrell Gulin was the first judge to complete his task. Here’s what he had to say, “I just finished judging. I was blown away by the quality of the images. Later today I will e-mail you with my top choice for each category as several in each got a score of 5; there were just too many just outstanding images.”

I cannot tell you how proud that made me feel. We expect the judging to be completed this week but are unsure as to when we will be announcing the winners. Thanks to all who entered. The fun comes next! Announcing the winners, see them in Nature Photographer Magazine, and distributing the booty!

I just heard from a second judge, avian artist Julie Zickefoose, an old friend who knew my late-wife Elaine Belsky-Morris; she nicknamed her “The Belsky-woman.” Here is what she has to say:

“OK, I’m done! What a fantastic 2 1/2 hours. As you can imagine, I gave lots of fives. Since there were several in most categories I have boldfaced the ones that brought me to my knees. Thanks for letting me look at these. I feel utterly unworthy to judge them, but you asked, didn’t you?”

These Wood Stork chicks were photographed with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at +1/3 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. Central sensor AI Servo/Rear Focus AF and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. Here I went to the 800/Mark IV to fill the frame with the subjects with the prime lens alone thanks to the Mark IV’s 1.3 crop factor. Learn more here.

The Blog is the Bomb

I continue to put in 20+ hours a week towards making the blog informative, timely, and beautiful. And it has been paying off. The blog alone had 462,178 page views and 3,839,749 hits in March 2012 alone! 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:

Check out “EOS-1DX, EOS-5D Mark III, & EOS-1D Mark IV Thoughts” here.

Learn when and how to create the wake shot by clicking here.

Everything that you ever wanted to know about Canon telphoto lenses in a simple, easy to read chart. You will surely want to bookmark this post.

If you think that it is impossible to focus automatically with the Canon EOS-5D Mark III, the 2X III TC, and the 800mm f/5.6L IS lens you might want to click here to learn how to do it.

Learn to set up rear focus on your 5D Mark III here.

Learn the five basic rules for avian image composition by reading and studying Know This Cold or Give Up Bird Photography. This post is another one that you will want to bookmark.

How does the EOS-5D Mark III do at the higher ISO settings? Click here to find out.

If you’ve been dreaming of making a trip to the Antarctic Continent you will surely want to click here.

Remember, you can subscribe to the blog posts by clicking here. Coming soon there will be a detailed comparison of the 800mm f/5.6L IS and the long-awaited 600mm f/4L IS II in response to a zillion e-mails.

MIDWAY 2013 SINGLE OPENING

Join me on Midway and photograph three species of albatross until your arms are too tired to lift your rig…. Click on the composite image to enjoy a larger version.

MIDWAY ATOLL BAA IPT: March 25, 2013 (from Honolulu, Oahu, HI) 7-FULL DAYS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: $7895 ALL INCLUSIVE FROM HNL. Co-leader: Denise Ippolito. Limit: 14/Openings 1.

Due to a cancellation, there is now a single opening on the formerly sold out Midway trip. Click here for additional details. Call 863-692-0906 or e-mail immediately if you are good to go.

Midway is a world renowned wildlife photography destination that ranks right up there with Antarctica, East Africa, Japan in winter, and the Galapagos. And like the Galapagos, most of the wildlife is inordinately tame. Click on the composite image to enjoy a larger version.

What’s included? The round trip charter airfare from HNL to Midway and back, all lodging and meals on Midway. The food, both American and Thai, is killer good so do not plan on losing any weight, all associated national park fees as well as transport via large golf cart. For the most part we will stay together as a group. Those wishing to photograph on their own with some restrictions may rent bikes. Also included is in-the-field instruction. Informal image sharing and Photoshop instruction will be available most days for those sitting next to me or looking over my shoulder in the lobby of Charley Barracks early mornings, evenings, and during break time. I do try to catch a short nap each day.

What’s not included: The cost of the airfare from your home to and from HNL. Your meals in Honolulu. The cost of your hotel room on March 24th and late check out if needed on April 2. Personal items and souvenirs purchased on Midway.

If you are a happy camper and wish to register for this trip please call us at 863-692-0906 immediately. If no answer please leave a message but send an e-mail to me at samandmayasgrandpa@att.net. You will be given instructions for sending your deposit check for $800 to us here: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245 (mail) or 4041 Granada Drive (courier), Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Do note that while many trips are advertised as once in a lifetime, this one may very well be that once in a lifetime opportunity as there is constant talk that each season may be the very last.

For the folks who have never traveled with us, please remember, happy campers only. If you are a bitter and unhappy person we do not care to travel with you. If you are pleasant, fun, easy to get along with and know how to act in the field with a group, we would be delighted to have you along.

Painted Bunting, male, Santa Clara Ranch, Starr County, TX This image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the EF 25mm Extension Tube, and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/100 sec. at f/5.6. Fill flash at -3 stops with the 580 EX II Speedlite and a Better Beamer. The extension tube allows for close focus inside the minimum focusing distance of the lens. We got to photograph several male Painted Buntings on my first visit to Santa Clara. When you are working at 1/100 sec. as I was here, it is imperative that the subject not move during the exposure….

Cheap, Short-Notice, Practically Private Instruction at the Santa Clara Ranch, near McCook, TX

I am looking for no more than four photographers to join me and two other leaders (one of whom is named Denise Ippolito) at the ground level water hole blinds on the Santa Clara Ranch near McCook, TX. Amazingly, Google Maps has never heard of McCook, TX. But not to worry, it is on Mapquest I first visited Beto Gutierrez’s ranch in early May 2010. You can learn more about that visit here or check out the ranch here.

With the three leaders the likely group size will be six–one student per leader, but might–depending on the level of interest–wind up at 8. You would need to be in McAllen, TX on the late afternoon of Monday May 14, 2012. If you are on our flight to McAllen (United 1621) know that we might stop to do some giant sunflower photography on the way to the ranch which is about an hour west of McAllen. There will be morning and afternoon photography sessions on Tuesday & Wednesday, May 15 and 16th and a final shorter session on the morning of Thursday May 17th. The three leaders will be flying out of McAllen on the 1:27 United flight to Houston.

We will have a variety of songbirds coming to the water along with some snakes and possibly a few mammals that will surely include Mexican Ground Squirrel. Bird species will likely include Painted Bunting, Northern Cardinal, Black-crested (Mexican) Titmouse, Bronzed Cowbird, Long-billed Thrasher, Northern Mockingbird, Mourning Dove, and Olive Sparrow. As migration is underway we may very well be in for a surprise or two. Other possibilities include Green Jay, Lark Sparrow, Pyrrhuloxia, Groove-billed Ani, and Audubon’s Oriole among others.

What’s included: lodging in the simple but modern ranch-house which has ac and wi-fi! Blind fees. Image sharing and individual and small group Photoshop lessons. We will share the cost of a shopping trip and all will get to experience some BIRD AS ART home cooking (unless the want to do some cooking themselves). I don’t cook breakfasts. Lunches and dinners will be healthy and simple but oh so good.

What’s not included: ground and ranch transportation and the shared cost of the food. We would be glad to try to set you up with a car pool partner.

Recommended gear: a minimum of a 500mm f/4 lens with both teleconverters and an extension tube. A sturdy tripod along with a Mongoose M3.6 or a Wimberley V2 head, your flash, a Better Beamer, and a flash bracket. An intermediate telephoto would be a huge plus if we are lucky enough to have deer, armadillo, opossum, collared peccary, or dare I even say it aloud–a bobcat come in for a drink. There might be some flowers around….

Cheap, Short-Notice Practically Private Instruction at the Santa Clara Ranch, near McCook, TX. May 14-17, 2012. 2 FULL and one half-day (includes lodging and blind fees): $999. Limit: 5/Openings: 4)

To register or to check on availability please call me immediately at 863-692-0906 and e-mail as well. If there is no answer and you wish to leave a message please call 863-692-0906. A non-refundable $500 is required and may be placed by credit card.

Click here to see the original post and several additional images.

Used EOS-1D Mark III for Sale

Todd Levine is offering a used Canon EOS-1D Mark III camera body for sale in Excellent + condition for $1400 plus $25 towards shipping and insurance. The sale includes the original box and everything that was in it. Please call Todd at 407-234-5858 or e-mail him here.

B&H Double Rebates Include the 5D Mark III

Click here. Select one of four current Canon camera bodies–both the EOS-5D Mark III and the EOS-7D are in the group. Add a lens–there are 30 in the group, a Series III teleconverter, or a Speedlite, and enjoy large double rebates. The lenses include lots of my favorites: the 70-200mm f/4 L IS, the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, the circle lens, the 180 macro, and the 300mm f/4L IS. You can check the specs on all Canon telephoto lenses here. This double rebate offer expires on April 2, 2012.

Nikon Dslr + Lens Bundle Rebates

Click here for details. Offer includes the brand new D3200 and the D7000.

POSSE NEWS/ROBERT AMORUSO

Great Egret chick – ©2010 Robert Amoruso.

The ORIGINAL Gatorland Photographic Instructional Workshops

Three-Day Long-Weekend Workshop: May 18, 19 and 20. All 2012. Extensive in-the-field instruction at East Central Florida’s best rookery location: Gatorland in Kissimmee, FL. Includes morning and afternoon classroom presentations: Successful Strategies in Avian Rookery Photography and image editing and post-processing workflows. The three-day workshop adds indoor presentations on thinking creatively. In-the-field instruction includes learning to isolate your subject, understanding light, getting the proper exposure, using depth of field to your advantage, using fill-flash and lots more. Classroom sessions are held onsite at Gatorland. A CD with lesson plans is included.

Learn more here.

American Alligator – ©2011 Robert Amoruso.

Roseate Spoonbill – MINWR – ©2011 Robert Amoruso. A light colored bird against a bright water background (pre-dawn) required a +3 increase in exposure over the metered metered exposure. Join us to learn why. Canon 1D Mark III with 600mm f/4 IS + 1.4x TCII. 1/80 sec, f/5.6, AV, Evaluative, EC +3 stops, ISO 800.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR) and Viera Wetlands – November 29 to December 2, 2012

This workshop lead by Robert Amoruso will visit some of the most diverse wildlife and avian photography locations in East Central Florida including Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), Canaveral National Seashore and Viera Wetlands.
Both MINWR and Viera Wetlands will be flush with avian activity. Migratory ducks are normally present in great numbers. White Pelican opportunities are excellent. The year-round residents include Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tri-colored Heron, Great Blue Heron, White and Glossy Ibis and Roseate Spoonbill. Reddish Egret populations are quite abundant so expect to see many. If time allows the threatened Florida Scrub Jay will be a primary query at a nearby scrub habitat sanctuary. The Scrub Jays are particularly cooperative at the sanctuary offering excellent photographic opportunities of this handsome bird.
This workshops concentration is on field technique. Indoor sessions include presentations on Visual Dynamics in Avian photography, Using Manual Exposure, and image editing and post-processing workflows.

Learn more and check out the great slide show images 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.

BLOG and NEWSLETTER

E-mail Robert to receive his educational newsletter. Robert’s blog covers photographic locations, how-to tips, workshop information, and more.

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.

Shopper’s Guide.

Support both the Bulletins and the Blog by making all your B & H purchases here.

Below is a list of the gear that I used to create the Wood Stork image above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. The very best professional digital camera body that I have ever used.

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….
GT3532 LS. This one replaces the GT3530LS Tripod and will last you a lifetime. I’ll be commenting on this new model soon. In short, I like it.
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.
CR-80 Replacement Foot for Canon 800. When using the 800 on a Mongoose as I do, replacing the lens foot with this accessory lets the lens sit like a dog whether pointed up or down and prevents wind-blown spinning of your lens on breezy days by centering the lens directly over the tripod.
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.

BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo Tours (IPTs)

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) General Information.

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Deposit and Cancellation Policies.

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Registration and Release Forms.

KATMAI BEAR BOAT IPT: July 24-31, 2012 from Kodiak, AK: $6699. Limit 6/Openings 2. Coastal Brown Bears (Grizzlies) Galore!

Coastal Brown Bears at point blank range foraging & clamming with a good chance of copulations; cubs nursing and playing. Likely additional subjects include Horned and Tufted Puffins, nesting Bald Eagle and Black-legged Kittiwake, Steller’s Sea Lion, rafts of Sea Otters and more. Halibut fishing optional.

BOSQUE del APACHE 2012 IPT: “The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 21-27, 2012. 7-FULL DAYS: $3399. Introductory Slide program: 6:30 pm on 11/20. Limit: 12/Openings 5.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks including point-blank American Wigeon and Wood Duck, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with one of (if not the) world’s premier photographic educators at one of his very favorite locations on the planet. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 18 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for me. Nobody knows the place better than I do. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the light and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable.

SW FLA IPT. FEB 16-21, 2013. Introductory slide program: 7pm on 2/15. 6-FULL DAYS: $2999. Limit: 10/Openings 7.

Co-leaders: TBA. My bread and butter trip; learn the basics and the advanced fine points from the best; escape winter’s icy grip and enjoy tons of tame birds! Subjects will include nesting Great Blue Heron and Great Egret, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Mottled Duck, Brown and White Pelican at point-blank range, Snowy & Reddish Egret, Tricolored Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Osprey, wintering shorebirds and plovers, gulls and terns, & Burrowing Owl. All ridiculously tame.

Click here to learn more about this IPT.

GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience. July 2-16, 2013 on the boat. 13 FULL and two 1/2 days of photography: $12,749. Limit 13/Openings: 6.

July 2-16, 2013 on the boat. Fly to Quito on June 30. Travel insurance day: July 1. Fly to the archipelago on July 2. Get off the boat on July 16. Spend that afternoon and evening in Puerto Ayora (lunch & dinner on your own). Fly to Quito on July 17. Fly home on the early morning of July 18. $12,749 includes just about everything including all transfers, guide and park fees, all food on the boat, your flights to the archipelago, and four nights in top notch hotels–three in Quito and one on Puerto Ayora. Non-refundable deposit: $5,000. Limit 14 including the leader/Openings: 8

Briefly, my two-week trips are without equal. The world’s best guide, a killer itinerary, a great boat (the Samba), and the best leader with seven Galapagos cruises under his belt. The great spots include Tower Island (including Prince Phillips Steps and Darwin Bay), Hood Island (including Punta Suarez, the world’s only nesting site of Waved Albatross, and Gardner Bay)—each of the preceding are world class wildlife photography designations that rank right up there with Antarctica, Africa, and Midway), Fernandina, Puerto Ayora for the tortoises, Puerto Egas—James Bay, North Seymour, South Plaza, Black Turtle Cove, Floreana, Urbina Bay, and China Hat. Plus tons more. And lots of snorkeling for those who wish to partake. All park fees, meals except as noted above, guide fees, ground transportation, and the flights to and from the Galapagos are included.

Painted Bunting, male, Santa Clara Ranch, Starr County, TX This image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the EF 25mm Extension Tube, and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/100 sec. at f/5.6. Fill flash at -3 stops with the 580 EX II Speedlite and a Better Beamer. The extension tube allows for close focus inside the minimum focusing distance of the lens. We got to photograph several male Painted Buntings on my first visit to Santa Clara. When you are working at 1/100 sec. as I was here, it is imperative that the subject not move during the exposure….

Cheap, Short-Notice, Practically Private Instruction at the Santa Clara Ranch, near McCook, TX

I am looking for one, possibly two, or even three (the latter a long-shot), photographers to join me and two other leaders (one of whom is named Denise Ippolito) at the ground level water hole blinds on the Santa Clara Ranch near McCook, TX. Amazingly, Google Maps has never heard of McCook, TX. But not to worry, it is on Mapquest I first visited Beto Gutierrez’s ranch in early May 2010. You can learn more about that visit here or check out the ranch here.

With the three leaders the likely group size will be six–one student per leader, but might–depending on the level of interest–wind up at 8. You would need to be in McAllen, TX on the late afternoon of Monday May 14, 2012. If you are on our flight to McAllen (United 1621) know that we might stop to do some giant sunflower photography on the way to the ranch which is about an hour west of McAllen. There will be morning and afternoon photography sessions on Tuesday & Wednesday, May 15 and 16th and a final shorter session on the morning of Thursday May 17th. The three leaders will be flying out of McAllen on the 1:27 United flight to Houston.

Coachwhip, Santa Clara Ranch, Starr County, TX This image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the EF 25mm Extension Tube, and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/320 sec. at f/5.6. Fill flash at -3 stops with the 580 EX II Speedlite and a Better Beamer. Several snakes came to the water to bathe in the afternoon heat.

We will have a variety of songbirds coming to the water along with some snakes and possibly a few mammals that will surely include Mexican Ground Squirrel. Bird species will likely include Painted Bunting, Northern Cardinal, Black-crested (Mexican) Titmouse, Bronzed Cowbird, Long-billed Thrasher, Northern Mockingbird, Mourning Dove, and Olive Sparrow. As migration is underway we may very well be in for a surprise or two. Other possibilities include Green Jay, Lark Sparrow, Pyrrhuloxia, Groove-billed Ani, and Audubon’s Oriole among others.

What’s included: lodging in the simple but modern ranch-house which has ac and wi-fi! Blind fees. Image sharing and individual and small group Photoshop lessons. We will share the cost of a shopping trip and all will get to experience some BIRD AS ART home cooking (unless the want to do some cooking themselves). I don’t cook breakfasts . Lunches and dinners will be healthy and simple but oh so good.

What’s not included: ground and ranch transportation and the shared cost of the food. We would be glad to try to set you up with a car pool partner.

Greater Roadrunner, Santa Clara Ranch, Starr County, TX This image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the EF 25mm Extension Tube, and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6. Fill flash at -2 stops with the 580 EX II Speedlite and a Better Beamer. Several roadrunners visited the pond each afternoon. We were barely settled in when this one showed up.

Recommended gear: a minimum of a 500mm f/4 lens with both teleconverters and an extension tube. A sturdy tripod along with a Mongoose M3.6 or a Wimberley V2 head, your flash, a Better Beamer, and a flash bracket. An intermediate telephoto would be a huge plus if we are lucky enough to have deer, armadillo, opossum, collared peccary, or dare I even say it aloud–a bobcat come in for a drink. There might be some flowers around….

Cheap, Short-Notice Practically Private Instruction at the Santa Clara Ranch, near McCook, TX. 2 FULL and one half-day (includes lodging and blind fees): $999.

To register or to check on availability please call me at 863-692-2806 and e-mail as well. If there is no answer and you wish to leave a message please call 863-692-0906. A non-refundable $500 is required and may be placed by credit card.

Painted Bunting, female, Santa Clara Ranch, Starr County, TX This image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the EF 25mm Extension Tube, and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6.

CONTEST NEWS

Registration closed on Monday at 11:59 pm on Monday, April 23, 2012 as stated clearly for nearly a month in various Bulletins and blog posts. None-the-less, we have received numerous calls and e-mails from folks expressing their disappointment at not being able to register. We explained that we too were disappointed as we hate turning down money and missing the chance to see even more great images. But in fairness to all, we held our ground. Only those who registered before the deadline are in the contest.

And they have till 11:59 pm on Monday, April 30, 2012 to finish uploading or fine-tuning their entries. Folks who are already registered and need to or wish to pay for additional blocks of ten may do so by sending us a Paypal to us here, via the BAA Online store by clicking here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer on Monday, April 30 at 863-692-0906. If the latter be sure to leave a message and follow that up with an e-mail that includes a call-back number.

We will be making initial selections during the week of May 1. We hope to have the first round of selects to the panel of judges no later than May 8 and to be able to announce the winning and honored images soon after that. We are pretty much thrilled with the quality of the images entered and are looking forward to the huge challenge that judging the contest will present.

MIDWAY 2013: SOLD OUT

If you would like your name placed on the waiting list, click here for details and photos.

A Photographer’s Guide To The Ontario Landscape by Andrew McLachlan

Andrew’s e-book guide, which has been selling well, is another the long line of beautiful, inspiring, educational, how-to and where-to treatises brought to you by BAA Books. The vast and varied landscapes of Ontario, Canada’s second largest province, provide photographers with a great variety of outstanding destinations and opportunities. Andrew’s guide is an easy-to-read, easy-to-follow resource that will make it a snap for both local and visiting photographers to plan their outings and to maximize their time afield. Why spend days looking for the best spots when Andrew has already done the legwork?

This slow shutter speed waterfall image captured at Kap-Kig-Iwan Provincial Park illustrates many of the important points that Andrew covers in his e-book. One is that good landscape photographers visit their favorite sites time after time after time to experience new and different light and to experiment with new ideas, techniques, and framing options. Image copyright 2012: Andrew McLachlan.

From the remote Abitibi Canyon in the northeast to Point Pelee in the southwest, from the Ottawa Valley in the southeast to the Algoma Highlands northeast of Sault Ste Marie, Andrew has-with skill and passion–photographed them all in every season. In addition he will guide you to the regions famous for fall colour including the Haliburton Highlands and Muskoka.

Here is another images from the book this one created at Old Woman Bay in Lake Superior Provincial Park. In the guide Andrew shares all of his favorite locations in each of the parks and lets you know how to get there with clear, explicit directions. Image copyright 2011: Andrew McLachlan.

You will learn where and when to go to create dramatic landscapes. Andrew’s images will educate and inspire you. This e-book contains dozens of excellent tips (each in its own sidebar) for folks who enjoy creating scenic landscape images. He covers all the bases including exposure and histograms, composition and image design, shutter speed, aperture, and depth-of-field, creative vision and perspective, matters of weather and light, and tips on all types of gear including lens choice, tripods, tripod heads, lens and camera body plates, & filters. If you like landscape photography, this e-book is a must-have resource.

You can order your PDF ($24/sent by e-mail via YouSendIt) by clicking here.

Many of the parks in the guide offer some good bird photography in addition to the lovely and dramatic scenery. This fresh juvenal plumage Sanderling was photographed on the beach at Lake Superior Provincial Park. Image copyright 2012: Andrew McLachlan.

COMPOSITION MAPS

In “Composition Maps: Visual Design for Nature Photographers” an e-book by Gloria Hopkins (with photographs by Arthur Morris) the author analyzes 61 BIRDS AS ART images and explains ingeniously exactly why they work. Give the animated GIF above a few seconds to play. (In the book you toggle between the image and the composition map by holding your cursor over the image). I have no clue as to how Gloria knows exactly what is going on in my brain when I press the shutter button and optimize my images. But she does. To learn to create interesting and powerful compositions click here and get yourself a copy of this great e-book for only $30. Gloria is also the author of the classic Natural Design; Image Design for Nature Photographers.

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of the gear used to create the images in today’s post. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon EF 25mm Extension Tube. Adding an extension tube between the lens and the camera body enables you to focus well closer than the minimum focusing distance of your lens while maintaining AF and metering. You will of course be unable to focus to infinity.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. The very best professional digital camera body that I have ever used.

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….
Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
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.
CR-80 Replacement Foot for Canon 800. When using the 800 on a Mongoose as I do, replacing the lens foot with this accessory lets the lens sit like a dog whether pointed up or down and prevents wind-blown spinning of your lens on breezy days by centering the lens directly over the tripod.
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.

BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo Tours (IPTs)

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) General Information.

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Deposit and Cancellation Policies.

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Registration and Release Forms.

KATMAI BEAR BOAT IPT: July 24-31, 2012 from Kodiak, AK: $6699. Limit 6/Openings 2. Coastal Brown Bears (Grizzlies) Galore!

Coastal Brown Bears at point blank range foraging & clamming with a good chance of copulations; cubs nursing and playing. Likely additional subjects include Horned and Tufted Puffins, nesting Bald Eagle and Black-legged Kittiwake, Steller’s Sea Lion, rafts of Sea Otters and more. Halibut fishing optional.

BOSQUE del APACHE 2012 IPT: “The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 21-27, 2012. 7-FULL DAYS: $3399. Introductory Slide program: 6:30 pm on 11/20. Limit: 12/Openings 5.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks including point-blank American Wigeon and Wood Duck, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with one of (if not the) world’s premier photographic educators at one of his very favorite locations on the planet. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 18 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for me. Nobody knows the place better than I do. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the light and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable.

SW FLA IPT. FEB 16-21, 2013. Introductory slide program: 7pm on 2/15. 6-FULL DAYS: $2999. Limit: 10/Openings 7.

Co-leaders: TBA. My bread and butter trip; learn the basics and the advanced fine points from the best; escape winter’s icy grip and enjoy tons of tame birds! Subjects will include nesting Great Blue Heron and Great Egret, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Mottled Duck, Brown and White Pelican at point-blank range, Snowy & Reddish Egret, Tricolored Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Osprey, wintering shorebirds and plovers, gulls and terns, & Burrowing Owl. All ridiculously tame.

Click here to learn more about this IPT.

GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience. July 2-16, 2013 on the boat. 13 FULL and two 1/2 days of photography: $12,749. Limit 13/Openings: 6.

July 2-16, 2013 on the boat. Fly to Quito on June 30. Travel insurance day: July 1. Fly to the archipelago on July 2. Get off the boat on July 16. Spend that afternoon and evening in Puerto Ayora (lunch & dinner on your own). Fly to Quito on July 17. Fly home on the early morning of July 18. $12,749 includes just about everything including all transfers, guide and park fees, all food on the boat, your flights to the archipelago, and four nights in top notch hotels–three in Quito and one on Puerto Ayora. Non-refundable deposit: $5,000. Limit 14 including the leader/Openings: 8

Briefly, my two-week trips are without equal. The world’s best guide, a killer itinerary, a great boat (the Samba), and the best leader with seven Galapagos cruises under his belt. The great spots include Tower Island (including Prince Phillips Steps and Darwin Bay), Hood Island (including Punta Suarez, the world’s only nesting site of Waved Albatross, and Gardner Bay)—each of the preceding are world class wildlife photography designations that rank right up there with Antarctica, Africa, and Midway), Fernandina, Puerto Ayora for the tortoises, Puerto Egas—James Bay, North Seymour, South Plaza, Black Turtle Cove, Floreana, Urbina Bay, and China Hat. Plus tons more. And lots of snorkeling for those who wish to partake. All park fees, meals except as noted above, guide fees, ground transportation, and the flights to and from the Galapagos are included.

Cattle Egret, mega-breeding plumage. This image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the 2XIII teleconverter, and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero confirmed by histogram check: 1/640 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode–early morning light at 7:56 am. Fill flash at -2 stops with the 580 EX II Speedlite and a Better Beamer. Autofocus with an f/5.6 lens and a 2X TC with a camera that focuses only to f/5.6…. How can that be??? See this blog post: Pushing the Limits with the Canon EOS-5D Mark III–2X III Teleconverter–800mm f/5.6L IS Combination If you would like to join me this coming weekend for Cattle Egrets, Wood Stork & Great Egret chicks, and some great individual or small group instruction near Orlando, FL, see item 2 below. Click on the image for a larger version.

CONTEST NEWS

The registration period for the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition ended at 11:59pm on April 23, 2012, you may upload images or refine your entries until 11:59pm eastern time on April 30, 2012. Thanks and good luck to all who entered.

We will be making initial selections during the week of May 1, hope to have the first round of selects to the panel of judges no later than May 8, and be able to announce the winning and honored images soon after that. We are pretty much thrilled with the quality of the images entered and are looking forward to the huge challenge that judging the contest will present.

Wood Stork chicks in the nest with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the 1.4X III TC, and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III. ISO 800. Evaluative metering at -1/3 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/6.3 in Av mode. Central Sensor/Rear Focus AI Servo AF and recompose. How can I autofocus with a camera that focuses only to f/5.6? That said, how could I have been at f/6.3 when the combo above should have come in at f/8? See the BPN thread here for details; you will need to scroll down and read carefully. Click on the image for a larger version.

Short Notice/Individual or Very Small Group Instruction Near Olando, FL This Weekend

Join me at a killer central Florida rookery either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, April 27, 28, or 29 for a morning, afternoon, or a whole day of photographic instruction. Morning sessions: 7-10am/$300 single. $200 each for two. Limit 2. Afternoon sessions: 3:30pm to 6:30pm/$300 single. $200 each for two. Limit 2. Full day: $550 single. $375 each for two. Limit 2. The full day includes lunch and image review. In all cases I reserve the right to add a second photographer unless you wish to pay the difference .

Learn to see and think like a pro, to evaluate various photographic situations, and to use light properly. I will be letting you know what I think of your gear set-up, your sharpness techniques, and your shooting style. And sharing the very best nests with you and explaining why they are the very best nests . Though a minimum of a 500mm f/4 lens with both teleconverters is ideal, folks with lenses as short as a 70-200 will benefit greatly. Please e-mail for additional details if you are seriously interested in joining me. Or try me at 863-692-2806 or on my cell at 863-221-2372. artie

This wet and soggy Great Egret was photographed with the the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III. ISO 1600. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/125 sec. at f/6.3 in Av mode. Fill flash at -3 stops with the 580 EX II Speedlite and a Better Beamer. Central Sensor/Rear Focus AI Servo AF and recompose.Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click here to learn to set up Rear Focus on your 5D Mark II. Click on the image for a larger version.

Tualatin River Bird Festival, Sherwood, Oregon

Thanks to the generosity of Canon USA/Explorers of Light I will be presenting the keynote address, “A Bird Photographer’s Story,” at the Tualatin River Bird Festival in Sherwood, Oregon on May 12, 2012 from 6:30 to 9pm. The keynote, “A Bird Photographer’s Story,” is free and open to the public. Click here for details on the “Focus on Nature” portion of the festival. I am doing several other programs that weekend–you can check them out at the link. I hope to see you there!

In the image without text, note the bill clean-up and the brighter, more contrasty WHITEs that still have lots of detail. Bill clean-up was done with the Patch Tool and the Spot Healing Brush and a series of small, warped Quick Masks. The former as described in detail in Digital Basics, the latter in APTATS I. Color Efex Pro has drastically changed my digital workflow. Remember, you can save 15% on all NIK products by clicking here and entering BAA in the Promo Code box at check-out. Then hit Apply to see your savings. You can download a trial copy that will work for 15 days and allow you to create full sized images.

MIDWAY 2013: JUST TWO SLOTS OPEN!

Click here for details and photos.

This Brown Pelican image was photographed with the the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III. ISO 1600. Evaluative metering +3 1/3 stops off the sky: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Central Sensor/Expand/Rear Focus AI Servo AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click here to learn to set up Rear Focus on your 5D Mark II. Click on the image for a larger version.

Hooptie Deux

The image above was created on James Shadle’s pontoon boat, the Hooptie Duex out of Gibsonton, FL. James has been taking folks out on Tampa Bay for Roseate Spoonbill photography for more than a decade. To learn more or to arrange a trip with James–there are lots of baby spoonbills just out of the nest right now–click here.

There are lots of ways to correct a color cast. Average Blur Color Balancing is described in detail in Digital Basics which includes my complete digital workflow and dozens of other great Photoshop tips.

Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris International Trips

SPRING 2012 In This Issue: Summer Safaris In-depth Antarctica

About Us Contact Us Trip List Cheesemans.com

Summer Safari! It’s not too late to plan your summer vacation. We still have space open for you on these safaris. Call now to make this summer a memorable one!

Holbox Whale Sharks July 10 – 17, 2012 Imagine snorkeling alongside the largest fish in the sea, the magnificent Whale Shark, in the warm Caribbean waters near the Yucatan Peninsula. We charter our own speedboat to give you more time in the water than other tours. Plus our local guides know how to successfully locate the sharks. We added a daylong guided tour of famous Mayan ruins and a visit to Bird Island, a refuge to thousands of shorebirds and seabirds. Watch our video. Full Itinerary Brazil Pantanal August 28 – September 14, 2012 This safari maximizes field time to see the diverse wildlife of the Pantanal like jaguar, anteater, tamandua, tayra, tapir, Hyacinth Macaws and more wonderful birds. We included two jaguar hotspots to maximize your encounters of these beautiful cats. This trip includes five days on the Paraguay River and eight days along the wildlife-rich Transpantaneira. Full Itinerary

Alaska North to South June 13 – July 2, 2012 Experience a slice of pristine Alaska from Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope to Fairbanks. See photogenic Alaskan wildlife amidst colorful tundra and beautiful glacier-covered mountains. Spend days in Denali National Park, on a voyage around Prince William Sound and at Katmai National Park to view bears as they snatch salmon from the river! One space only. Full Itinerary Monterey Bay Daytrip Sunday, September 9, 2012 The California Coast is one of the best locations to watch Humpback and Blue Whales, sea lions and dolphins swimming under seabirds such as shearwaters and albatross. Full Itinerary

Antarctic Peninsula – In-depth White Continent December 30, 2012 to January 17, 2013 We couldn’t close without mentioning this unique expedition specially designed with an extensive 10-11 days of landings along the Peninsula. Our ship, the Ortelius, will undergo extensive renovations this summer. Couple these improvements with the highest ice-class rating of any passenger vessel in Antarctica and you have the perfect ship for exploring farther south into the Weddell Sea and Antarctic Circle and other must-see places such as Paulet Island and Bailey Head. Join our expedition leader, popular Hugh Rose, and 12 more staff members for a unique experience that may only come once in your lifetime. Full Itinerary

Plan Your 2014 Safari Now We started arranging our safaris for 2014, so keep an eye on our trip list for new additions. Sign-up early before your first-choice trip fills. Contact us to sign-up Please contact Cheesemans’ to assure space availability and to let us answer your questions. For more information, fill out our handy online information request.

Photos: Snorkeling with Whale Sharks, Jaguar in the Pantanal, Humpback Whale in Monterey Bay, Zodiac cruising in Antarctica: ©Cheesemans; Brown Bear in Denali National Park: ©Hugh Rose. Ensure you receive our newsletters in your inbox, add info@cheesemans.com to your address book. Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris, (800) 527-5330, info@cheesemans.com 20800 Kittredge Road, Saratoga, CA, 95070, USA

Support the work that goes into the creation of both the Bulletins and the blog by making all your B & H purchases here.

Be sure to save your B&H mail receipts to earn free entries into next year’s contest. Remember, you must use the BAA affiliate link above or one of the product specific links on the blog or in Bulletins to qualify.

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of the gear used to create the images in today’s post. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon EF 1.4X III TC. Canon’s latest greatest 1.4X TC is designed to work best with the new Series II super telephotos lenses.
Canon EF 2XIII teleconverter. This TC is noticeably sharper and is designed to work best with the new Series II super telephotos lenses.
Canon EOS-5D Mark III. Man, I am in love with this camera body. Both the files and the AF system are superb.

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….
Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
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.
CR-80 Replacement Foot for Canon 800. When using the 800 on a Mongoose as I do, replacing the lens foot with this accessory lets the lens sit like a dog whether pointed up or down and prevents wind-blown spinning of your lens on breezy days by centering the lens directly over the tripod.
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.

BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo Tours (IPTs)

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) General Information.

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Deposit and Cancellation Policies.

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Registration and Release Forms.

KATMAI BEAR BOAT IPT: July 24-31, 2012 from Kodiak, AK: $6699. Limit 6/Openings 2. Coastal Brown Bears (Grizzlies) Galore!

Coastal Brown Bears at point blank range foraging & clamming with a good chance of copulations; cubs nursing and playing. Likely additional subjects include Horned and Tufted Puffins, nesting Bald Eagle and Black-legged Kittiwake, Steller’s Sea Lion, rafts of Sea Otters and more. Halibut fishing optional.

BOSQUE del APACHE 2012 IPT: “The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 21-27, 2012. 7-FULL DAYS: $3399. Introductory Slide program: 6:30 pm on 11/20. Limit: 12/Openings 5.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks including point-blank American Wigeon and Wood Duck, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with one of (if not the) world’s premier photographic educators at one of his very favorite locations on the planet. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 18 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for me. Nobody knows the place better than I do. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the light and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable.

SW FLA IPT. FEB 16-21, 2013. Introductory slide program: 7pm on 2/15. 6-FULL DAYS: $2999. Limit: 10/Openings 7.

Co-leaders: TBA. My bread and butter trip; learn the basics and the advanced fine points from the best; escape winter’s icy grip and enjoy tons of tame birds! Subjects will include nesting Great Blue Heron and Great Egret, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Mottled Duck, Brown and White Pelican at point-blank range, Snowy & Reddish Egret, Tricolored Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Osprey, wintering shorebirds and plovers, gulls and terns, & Burrowing Owl. All ridiculously tame.

Click here to learn more about this IPT.

GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience. July 2-16, 2013 on the boat. 13 FULL and two 1/2 days of photography: $12,749. Limit 13/Openings: 6.

July 2-16, 2013 on the boat. Fly to Quito on June 30. Travel insurance day: July 1. Fly to the archipelago on July 2. Get off the boat on July 16. Spend that afternoon and evening in Puerto Ayora (lunch & dinner on your own). Fly to Quito on July 17. Fly home on the early morning of July 18. $12,749 includes just about everything including all transfers, guide and park fees, all food on the boat, your flights to the archipelago, and four nights in top notch hotels–three in Quito and one on Puerto Ayora. Non-refundable deposit: $5,000. Limit 14 including the leader/Openings: 8

Briefly, my two-week trips are without equal. The world’s best guide, a killer itinerary, a great boat (the Samba), and the best leader with seven Galapagos cruises under his belt. The great spots include Tower Island (including Prince Phillips Steps and Darwin Bay), Hood Island (including Punta Suarez, the world’s only nesting site of Waved Albatross, and Gardner Bay)—each of the preceding are world class wildlife photography designations that rank right up there with Antarctica, Africa, and Midway), Fernandina, Puerto Ayora for the tortoises, Puerto Egas—James Bay, North Seymour, South Plaza, Black Turtle Cove, Floreana, Urbina Bay, and China Hat. Plus tons more. And lots of snorkeling for those who wish to partake. All park fees, meals except as noted above, guide fees, ground transportation, and the flights to and from the Galapagos are included.

Today is the very last day to enter the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition. You have till 11:59 pm tonight–Monday April 23, 2012–to register for the contest. Over the weekend 27 more folks decided to see how their images stacked up against some of the best in the world and take a stab at some of the great prizes in the $22,000+ prize pool. If you registered and paid over the weekend please be patient. You will receive your instructions via e-mail no later than this evening; Jim and Peter have been swamped. If you have trouble uploading your images because of high traffic on the server uploading one at a time will likely alleviate the problem. Good luck to all!

No More Days Left to Enter the Competition!

Qualifying B&H Purchases Made Today Still Get You In!

Only Seven Days Left to Upload Your Photos!

Although you may upload your images until 11:59pm eastern time on April 30, 2012, the very last day for registering for the contest and for making eligible B&H purchases will be today, Monday, April 23, 2012. This gives us time to process your registrations and verify your B&H purchases and gives you time to upload your images successfully. Good luck to all.

The BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition has been going great guns. Additional folks are getting in on the fun each day. And many folks who had previously finished their entries have been taking advantage of the extension by uploading even stronger images. Thanks to those who responded to my Hand of Man pleas; it is now one of our strongest categories. While each of the following categories has some very strong images there is still room for improvement: Small in the Frame/Environmental, Pleasing Blurs, Youth, and especially Captive (photographs of captive, zoo, pet, or rehab birds).

Those of you who have been in the dark can learn more about the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition here or by visiting the main contest page here.

Save Your B&H Receipts

Do save your e-mail receipts for eligible B&H purchases made after Monday, April 23 as you will be able to use them for entry into the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition; details will be announced in several months. Please remember, only B&H purchases made using the product-specific BAA B&H affiliate links in the Bulletins or on the blog or the more general link here qualify. See additional details by scrolling down to item 2 here. If in doubt, simply start your B&H searches by clicking here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/?BI=6633&KBID=7226

This pair of Long-billed Curlews was photographed at Morro Bay, CA with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Central Sensor/AF Areas Expand/AI Servo Rear Focus AF and recompose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click here to learn to set up Rear Focus on your 5D Mark II. Click on the image for a larger version. Tip: always focus on the bird in the front.

Contest Update

Important Contest News

Only One Day Left to Enter the Competition!

Only One Day Left to Make Your Qualifying B&H Purchases!

Only Eight Days Left to Upload Your Photos!

Although you may upload your images until 11:59pm eastern time on April 30, 2012, the very last day for registering for the contest and for making eligible B&H purchases will be Monday, April 23, 2012. This will give us time to process your registrations and verify your B&H purchases and will give you time to upload your images successfully. Good luck to all.

The BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition has been going great guns. Additional folks are getting in on the fun each day. And many folks who had previously finished their entries have been taking advantage of the extension by uploading even stronger images. Thanks to those who responded to my Hand of Man pleas; it is now one of our strongest categories. While each of the following categories has some very strong images there is still room for improvement: Small in the Frame/Environmental, Pleasing Blurs, Youth, and especially Captive (photographs of captive, zoo, pet, or rehab birds).

Those of you who have been in the dark can learn more about the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition here or by visiting the main contest page here.

Save Your B&H Receipts

Do save your e-mail receipts for eligible B&H purchases made after Monday, April 23 as you will be able to use them for entry into the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition; details will be announced in several months. Please remember, only B&H purchases made using the product-specific BAA B&H affiliate links in the Bulletins or on the blog or the more general link here qualify. See additional details by scrolling down to item 2 here. If in doubt, simply start your B&H searches by clicking here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/?BI=6633&KBID=7226

This bathing Black Oystercatcher was photographed at Morro Bay, CA with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/2000 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode. Lower Central Sensor/AF Areas Expand/AI Servo Rear Focus AF active at the moment of expsoure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click here to learn to set up Rear Focus on your 5D Mark II. Click on the image for a larger version. Tip: always choose a lower AF sensor when working with bathing birds; if they flap, you will have a good chance to avoid clipping the raised wings.

MORRO BAY IPT REPORT

It is wonderful but hard to figure out how and why IPTs consistently attract groups of fun, nice folks who are serious about learning to become better bird photographers. Alan and wonderful wife Pat Lillich have been on several IPTs and will be traveling with me on the Cheesemans’ Falklands/South Georgia trip next fall; please e-mail
if you’d like to get on the wait list for that amazing trip. Dane Johnson was on a Bosque IPT years ago. Jean-luc Valliant is a skilled photographer who has been on many IPTs and will be joining the Galapagos group in July 2013; there is room for you on that one if you are a Happy Camper! I first met Don Nelson at the Klamath event last year–my appearance there sponsored by Canon USA/Explorers of Light. Don was kind enough to take me to a cooperative Great Horned Owl but the bird was buried in a bush I will be seeing Don again at the Tualitan event, also sponsored by Canon USA/Explorers of Light.

Pete Sole’ attended with wife Nancy. Pete was eager to learn and Nancy was a sweetheart. George Cottay (say KOT-ee) attended with his lovely wife. George liked to stay well back with his 800mm f/5.6L IS/Canon EOS-7D combo and fell in love with the corner of a marina where we found some good grebe photography. (See Gear Strategy here.) Newcomers Walt Novinger of San Diego and Joe Messina both had 500mm f/4L IS lenses and both felt that they learned a ton. Talented young photographer Gaurav Mittal traveled all the way from India to join the IPT and blew everyone away with his flight images from the trip. Guarav has already signed up for next year’s Bosque IPT.

Blog folks know that we were blasted by fierce winds most every afternoon but our co-leader Aidan Briggs saved the day by bringing us to a coastal pond that was loaded with bathing gulls and some other goodies each afternoon. Unlike my previous January visit which featured one glorious sunset after another we were hard-pressed for any color at all in the western sky as each day drew to a close. Things looked promising several times but we were greyed out by a huge fog bank every time that things looked reasonably good. We killed on Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, and Willet every morning. Everybody loved our lunches at Giovanni’s Fresh Fish Market & Galley (1001 Front Street, Morro Bay, CA). We stayed at The Inn at Morro Bay and had a great wrap-up dinner there on our last night together. It was a fitting end to a great trip.

The three original images for this HDR photographer were created with the tripod-mounted Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens (AT 95MM) and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III. ISO 400. AEB +/- 2 full stops around Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/4 sec. at f/11. Assembled in Photomatix Pro using the Enhancer Grunge pre-set. Save 15% by entering BIRDSASART as the Coupon Code. Central Sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus AF and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click here to learn to set up Rear Focus on your 5D Mark II. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version. Tip: working off a tripod when attempting to create an HDR series makes worlds of sense.

Tualatin River Bird Festival, Sherweood, Oregon

Thanks to the generosity of Canon USA/Explorers of Light I will be presenting the keynote address, “A Bird Photographer’s Story,” at the Tualatin River Bird Festival in Sherwood, Oregon on May 12, 2012 from 6:30 to 9pm. The event is free and open to the public. Click here for complete details. I will be doing several additional programs at the festival; click on the “Focus on Nature” link on the grey bar at the top of the page or see the next BAA Bulletin for details. I hope to see you there!

This Western Gull was flapping after a bath. The image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/2500 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode. Lowest Central Sensor/AF Areas Expand/AI Servo Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click here to learn to set up Rear Focus on your 5D Mark II. Click on the image for a larger version. 5D III AF performed superbly on the bathing and flapping birds. I will be sharing everything that I have learned in the upcoming 5D Mark III User’s Guide. tip: working in Manual mode in situations like this will give you a perfect exposure every time no matter how much or how little white is revealed by the flap position.

Cheesemans’ Ecology Saafaris International Trips

To learn about a variety or fantastic international trips that include lots of great photography please click here.

Click on the image to enlarge.

POSSE NEWS/DENISE IPPOLITO

The talented, skilled, and amazingly creative Denise Ippolito is offer two killer workshops as noted above and below. For more information, click here.

The workshop above (only four slots open) includes access to the abandoned Lonaconing Silk Mill–also know as the Klotz Throwing Company. It is the last intact silk mill in the United States. It is located in Lonaconing, Maryland within the National Lonaconing Historic District, and the site was nominated by the George’s Creek Watershed Association for the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. In the workshop below you will be visiting two of the northeast’s finest gardens in full bloom with one of the world’s premier flower photographers and instructors.

Click on the image to enlarge.

MIDWAY 2013: JUST TWO SLOTS OPEN!

Join me on Midway and photograph three species of albatross until your arms are too tired to lift your rig…. Click on the composite image to enjoy a larger version.

MIDWAY ATOLL BAA IPT: March 25, 2013 (from Honolulu, Oahu, HI) 7-FULL DAYS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: $7895 ALL INCLUSIVE FROM HNL. Trip dates and price tentative. Limit: 14/Openings 1.

Due to a cancellation, there is now a single opening on the formerly sold out Midway trip. Click here for additional details. Call 863-692-0906 or e-mail immediately if you are good to go.

Midway is a world renowned wildlife photography destination that ranks right up there with Antarctica, East Africa, Japan in winter, and the Galapagos. And like the Galapagos, most of the wildlife is inordinately tame. Click on the composite image to enjoy a larger version.

What’s included? The round trip charter airfare from HNL to Midway and back, all lodging and meals on Midway. The food, both American and Thai, is killer good so do not plan on losing any weight, all associated national park fees as well as transport via large golf cart. For the most part we will stay together as a group. Those wishing to photograph on their own with some restrictions may rent bikes. Also included is in-the-field instruction. Informal image sharing and Photoshop instruction will be available most days for those sitting next to me or looking over my shoulder in the lobby of Charley Barracks early mornings, evenings, and during break time. I do try to catch a short nap each day.

What’s not included: The cost of the airfare from your home to and from HNL. Your meals in Honolulu. The cost of your hotel room on March 24th and late check out if needed on April 2. Personal items and souvenirs purchased on Midway.

If you are a happy camper and wish to register for this trip please call us at 863-692-0906 immediately. If no answer please leave a message but send an e-mail to me at samandmayasgrandpa@att.net. You will be given instructions for sending your deposit check for $800 to us here: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245 (mail) or 4041 Granada Drive (courier), Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Do note that while many trips are advertised as once in a lifetime, this one may very well be that once in a lifetime opportunity as there is constant talk that each season may be the very last.

For the folks who have never traveled with us, please remember, happy campers only. If you are a bitter and unhappy person we do not care to travel with you. If you are pleasant, fun, easy to get along with and know how to act in the field with a group, we would be delighted to have you along.

Earn Free Contest Entries and Support both the Bulletins and the Blog by making all your B & H purchases here.

More and more folks are earning multiple contest entries with their B & H purchases. See here for details on that. Eleven great categories, 34 winning and honored images, and prize pools valued in excess of $20,000. Click here to visit the competition home page.

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of the gear used to create the images in today’s post. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder with the 2XIII teleconverter. I also use it a lot–depending on the situation–with the 1.4X III TC.
Canon EF 1.4X III TC. This new TC is designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses.
Canon EOS-5D Mark III. Man, I am in love with this camera body. Both the files and the AF system are superb.

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….
Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
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.
CR-80 Replacement Foot for Canon 800. When using the 800 on a Mongoose as I do, replacing the lens foot with this accessory lets the lens sit like a dog whether pointed up or down and prevents wind-blown spinning of your lens on breezy days by centering the lens directly over the tripod.
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.

BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo Tours (IPTs)

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) General Information.

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Deposit and Cancellation Policies.

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Registration and Release Forms.

KATMAI BEAR BOAT IPT: July 24-31, 2012 from Kodiak, AK: $6699. Limit 6/Openings 2. Coastal Brown Bears (Grizzlies) Galore!

Coastal Brown Bears at point blank range foraging & clamming with a good chance of copulations; cubs nursing and playing. Likely additional subjects include Horned and Tufted Puffins, nesting Bald Eagle and Black-legged Kittiwake, Steller’s Sea Lion, rafts of Sea Otters and more. Halibut fishing optional.

BOSQUE del APACHE 2012 IPT: “The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 21-27, 2012. 7-FULL DAYS: $3399. Introductory Slide program: 6:30 pm on 11/20. Limit: 12/Openings 5.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks including point-blank American Wigeon and Wood Duck, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with one of (if not the) world’s premier photographic educators at one of his very favorite locations on the planet. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 18 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for me. Nobody knows the place better than I do. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the light and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable.

SW FLA IPT. FEB 16-21, 2013. Introductory slide program: 7pm on 2/15. 6-FULL DAYS: $2999. Limit: 10/Openings 7.

Co-leaders: TBA. My bread and butter trip; learn the basics and the advanced fine points from the best; escape winter’s icy grip and enjoy tons of tame birds! Subjects will include nesting Great Blue Heron and Great Egret, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Mottled Duck, Brown and White Pelican at point-blank range, Snowy & Reddish Egret, Tricolored Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Osprey, wintering shorebirds and plovers, gulls and terns, & Burrowing Owl. All ridiculously tame.

Click here to learn more about this IPT.

GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience. July 2-16, 2013 on the boat. 13 FULL and two 1/2 days of photography: $12,749. Limit 13/Openings: 6.

July 2-16, 2013 on the boat. Fly to Quito on June 30. Travel insurance day: July 1. Fly to the archipelago on July 2. Get off the boat on July 16. Spend that afternoon and evening in Puerto Ayora (lunch & dinner on your own). Fly to Quito on July 17. Fly home on the early morning of July 18. $12,749 includes just about everything including all transfers, guide and park fees, all food on the boat, your flights to the archipelago, and four nights in top notch hotels–three in Quito and one on Puerto Ayora. Non-refundable deposit: $5,000. Limit 14 including the leader/Openings: 8

Briefly, my two-week trips are without equal. The world’s best guide, a killer itinerary, a great boat (the Samba), and the best leader with seven Galapagos cruises under his belt. The great spots include Tower Island (including Prince Phillips Steps and Darwin Bay), Hood Island (including Punta Suarez, the world’s only nesting site of Waved Albatross, and Gardner Bay)—each of the preceding are world class wildlife photography designations that rank right up there with Antarctica, Africa, and Midway), Fernandina, Puerto Ayora for the tortoises, Puerto Egas—James Bay, North Seymour, South Plaza, Black Turtle Cove, Floreana, Urbina Bay, and China Hat. Plus tons more. And lots of snorkeling for those who wish to partake. All park fees, meals except as noted above, guide fees, ground transportation, and the flights to and from the Galapagos are included.

Judge’s Favorite from the Flight category. Image copyright 2012 in the name of the creator. This is obviously a superb image. What will the other judges think of it?

Contest Update

Only One Week to Enter and One Week for Qualifying B&H Purchases. Only Two Weeks to Upload Your Photos!

The BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition has been going great guns. Additional folks are getting in on the fun each day. And many folks who had previously finished their entries have been taking advantage of the extension by uploading even stronger images. Thanks to those who responded to my Hand of Man pleas; it is now one of our strongest categories.

Judge’s Favorite from the Action category. Image copyright 2012 in the name of the creator. Whoa! Talk about spectacular.

Help Needed!

While each of the following categories has some very strong images there is still room for improvement: Small in the Frame/Environmental, Pleasing Blurs, Youth, and especially Captive (photographs of captive, zoo, pet, or rehab birds).

Those of you who have been in the dark can learn more about the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition here or by visiting the main contest page here.

Judge’s Favorite from the Behavior category. Image copyright 2012 in the name of the creator. This is another sweet image with very sweet light. I wonder how it will fare?

Important Contest News

While you may upload images until 11:59pm eastern time on April 30, 2012, the very last day for registering for the contest and for making eligible B&H purchases will be Monday, April 23, 2012. This will give us time to process your registrations and verify your B&H purchases and will give you time to upload your images successfully. Good luck to all.

Judge’s Favorite from the Digital category. Image copyright 2012 in the name of the creator. This lovely Great Blue Heron Fractalius image should do well in the competition. But who knows?

Save Your B&H Receipts

Do save your e-mail receipts for eligible B&H purchases made after Monday, April 23 as you will be able to use them for entry into the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition; details will be announced in several months. Please remember, only B&H purchases made using the product-specific BAA B&H affiliate links in the Bulletins or on the blog or the more general link here qualify. See additional details by scrolling down to item 2 here. If in doubt, simply start your B&H searches by clicking here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/?BI=6633&KBID=7226

Here’s my Eckla Beach Rolly loaded with about 45 pounds of gear; getting my gear from the parking lot into the facility was a breeze; I pulled it behind me with a two-handed grip. Even getting up a curb was a snap. Loading and unloading took only a minute at most. Note that the Cargo Net is holding everything safely in place. Best of all, the rolly folds pretty much flat so that it can be easily stowed in most vehicles.

BOARDWALK ROLLY

I had a chance to try out the Eckla Beach Rolly on my a trip to one of the gator rookeries this past weekend. Wow! Did it make my life easier. If you stick your roller in first as I did with my Think Tank Rolling Bag you do not need to purchase the Multi-holding Bar as the Cargo Net holds everything in place. I used just four clips on the cargo net, one in each corner of the net; this system worked perfectly. I would, however, recommend the Multi-holding Bar if you are headed to the beach with several lenses and one or more tripods.

You can learn more about this great product or purchase one by clicking here. (Note: the Eckla Eagle Car Door Camera Support is junk; I know–I tried it. Get yourself a BLUBB instead. For additional photos and info click here.

THE BLOG IS THE BOMB

I continue to put in 20+ hours a week towards making the blog informative, timely, and beautiful. And it has been paying off. The blog alone had 462,178 page views and 3,839,749 hits in March 2012 alone! 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:

Want to find out if the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS/2X III teleconverter/EOS-5D Mark III is a viable combination? Click here.

Learn how I am using by EOS-1D Mark IV and my EOS-5D Mark III in the field in the Gear Strategy post.

How does the EOS-5D Mark III do at the higher ISO settings? Click here to find out.

If you’ve been dreaming of making a trip to the Antarctic Continent you will surely want to click here.

Remember, you can subscribe to the blog posts by clicking here. Coming soon there will be a detailed comparison of the 800mm f/5.6L IS and the long-awaited 600mm f/4L IS II in response to a zillion e-mails.

Join me on Midway and photograph three species of albatross until your arms are too tired to lift your rig…. Click on the composite image to enjoy a larger version.

MIDWAY 2013: JUST THREE SLOTS OPEN!

MIDWAY ATOLL BAA IPT: March 25, 2013 (from Honolulu, Oahu, HI) 7-FULL DAYS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: $7895 ALL INCLUSIVE FROM HNL. Trip dates and price tentative. Limit: 14/Openings 4.

The trip is pending government approval which, if it comes, will be within a week or two at most. The price is firm barring any fee increases on Midway. If the 2013 trips does not go the great likelihood is that Midway will once again be closed to tourism (as it was for almost ten years not long ago…)

The group will fly to Midway from the Charter Aircraft Hangar on the late afternoon of March 25, 2013. You will need to be in Honolulu by late morning on the 25th. For safety’s sake, I will be arriving in Honolulu on March 24 to avoid missing the charter flight. You should do the same. If you plan to arrive on the 25th and are delayed, you will miss the charter flight and will not be able to get to Midway. Period. If you do choose to arrive on the 24th as advised, the hotel is on your dime.

We will arrive at Midway after dark on the 25th. We will leave Midway well after dark on April 1 arriving in Honolulu during the very early morning of April 2, usually between 1 and 2 am. The cost of a hotel day-room is included in the trip. If you need late check-out (after noon on the 2nd) that will be on your dime too. Most flights back to the US are red-eyes.

We will enjoy seven full days of photography. We will enjoy hundreds of thousands of nesting albatrosses both Laysan and Black-footed. We will see and photograph (and video if you like) chicks of all sizes and the incredibly intricate courtship displays of both species. You will be able to create head portraits of both species with a 70-200 lens. We will enjoy hours of albatross flight photography. The morning runway flight photography is incredible. It is likely that we will see and get to photograph the exceedingly rare Short-tailed Albatross (though briefly because of access restrictions). We will see and photograph White (formerly Fairy) Tern as well as Red-tailed Tropicbird. After lunch on sunny days the skies in front of the Clipper House will be filled with courting Red-tailed Tropicbirds. Other likely subjects include Lasyan Duck, Pacific Golden-Plover and Bristle-thighed Curlew. Those who bring their flashes will be able to photograph Bonin’s Petrel after dark. I will likely leave my flash at home as there are severe weight restrictions on this trip; each of us will be limited to about 60 pounds total.

We will make a one day boat trip, about a 15 minute ride, to Eastern Island where we will see and photograph nesting Red-footed Booby and nesting Great Frigatebird with inflated red gular pouches. Grey-backed Tern and several other species are possible. And of course there will be zillions of nesting Laysan Albatrosses there. We can expect two species of noddy on the trip, Brown and Black–I think that the Black Noddies are more likely on Eastern Island. Both islands are rife with historical significance, derelict buildings and hangars, and artifacts; the naval battle of Midway was the turning point in World War II.

Midway is a world renowned wildlife photography destination that ranks right up there with Antarctica, East Africa, Japan in winter, and the Galapagos. And like the Galapagos, most of the wildlife is inordinately tame. Click on the composite image to enjoy a larger version.

In order to cover the huge expense of the round-trip charter aircraft to and from Midway Island this trip needs to fill in order to run. In the almost unimaginable event that this minimum is not met, or if the trip is denied government approval, your deposit will of course be refunded in full. It is otherwise non-refundable. Once the trip is confirmed you will be advised to purchase trip cancellation insurance. I do expect this trip to fill in very short order. A waiting list will be created for those who are late to respond. Please hold off purchasing plane tickets until you hear that the trip is a go. Do note that while many trips are advertised as once in a lifetime, this one may very well be that once in a lifetime opportunity as there is constant talk that each season may be the very last.

What’s included? The round trip charter airfare from HNL to Midway and back, all lodging and meals on Midway. The food, both American and Thai, is killer good so do not plan on losing any weight, all associated national park fees as well as transport via large golf cart. For the most part we will stay together as a group. Those wishing to photograph on their own with some restrictions may rent bikes. Also included is in-the-field instruction. Informal image sharing and Photoshop instruction will be available most days for those sitting next to me or looking over my shoulder in the lobby of Charley Barracks early mornings, evenings, and during break time. I do try to catch a short nap each day.

What’s not included: The cost of the airfare from your home to and from HNL. Your meals in Honolulu. The cost of your hotel room on March 25th and late check out if needed on April 2. Personal items and souvenirs purchased on Midway.

If you are a happy camper and wish to register for this trip please call us at 863-692-0906 immediately. If no answer do not leave a message but do send an e-mail to me at samandmayasgrandpa@att.net. You will be given instructions for sending a deposit check for $800 to us here: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245 (mail) or 4041 Granada Drive (courier), Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. In the almost un-imaginable event that the minimum of 14 folks is not met, or if the trip is denied government approval, your deposit will of course be refunded in full. It is otherwise non-refundable.

For the folks who have never traveled with us, please remember, happy campers only. If you are a bitter and unhappy person we do not care to travel with you. If you are pleasant, fun, easy to get along with and know how to act in the field with a group, we would be delighted to have you along.

Leopard, Ndutu,Tanzania. Image copyright 2010/Todd Gustafson/Gustafson Photo Safari

POSSE NEWS: TODD GUSTASFON

Gustafson Photo Safari 14-day Tanzania Safari: Dates: January 26, 2013 Leaving US/February 10 Returning: $11,999 double occupancy

In nature photography timing is everything! Being in the right place at the right time is crucial as is the choice of photo safari tour leader. Let Gustafson Photo Safari put you in the best position to photograph all that East Africa has to offer! We have the right vehicles, stay in the best lodges and work with expert guides who’s goal is to find great wildlife situations for you to photograph. For our safari the story begins in Tanzania’s Serengeti eco system in February when an estimated 2.5 million wildebeest and zebras arrive in the southern Serengeti to give birth. The grass is green and the time is right for new calves to be born. We will also visit Lake Manyara, Ndutu, and the world famous Ngorongoro Crater. With no shortage of subjects to choose from; including the “Big Five, plains animals and 1,500 species of birds to chase, this is a trip of a lifetime!

Greater Flamingos, Ndutu,Tanzania. Image copyright 2010/Todd Gustafson/Gustafson Photo Safari

Todd Tips: Pack the right equipment. A common problem on safari occurs when a photographer has too much camera gear. They are prepared for every photo situation. Their equipment list includes super telephoto, macro, wide angle zoom, mid telephoto, fisheye, four camera bodies, two flash units (plus a macro flash) as well as Quantum batteries, two computers, four extra hard drives and battery chargers for everything. I’m out of breath just thinking about getting all that gear from my room to the safari vehicle much less getting it though airport security and onto the airplane. More importantly, there is so much equipment to sort through that by the time you have decided what equipment will suit your vision of a scene, the moment is past. I have found over the years that you can use fewer lenses, shape your photographic vision to that set of optics, do less equipment juggling and make a higher percentage of dramatic images. My lens of choice is a 600 mm f/4 lens and a 1.7 teleconverter.

Cheetah family, Ndutu, Tanzania. Image copyright 2010/Todd Gustafson/Gustafson Photo Safari

Over the years Gustafson Photo Safari has had requests for a shorter safari; a version that fits people’s increasingly busy schedules. We are listening to you!

Following the proven model of our classic 15 day safari GPS is now offering the “Migration Safari”. We have carefully selected 10 days that exemplify what an East African photo safari should be. These days coincide seamlessly with the full length Migration Safari. Fewer days doesn’t translate into fewer photo opportunities! The locations and timing were specifically chosen to minimize travel, thereby maximizing photography time in the field and relaxing time at the beautiful lodges.

Those who choose this safari will transfer directly from Arusha to Ngorongoro Crater, one of Africa’s premier game parks and a World Heritage Site. From the Crater we transfer to Ndutu center of the Great Migration’s birthing season. Photo ops abound as we spend 7 nights at the classic Ndutu Lodge. Experience 10 days of action packed safari photography in the most dramatic locations at the exact right time of year for only $9,600 double occupancy.

Auger Buzzard, Ndutu, Tanzania. Image copyright 2010/Todd Gustafson/Gustafson Photo Safari

Request the full color PDF for both trips by e-mail.

Learn more about Todd here.

Cheetah cub, Ndutu,Tanzania. Image copyright 2010/Todd Gustafson/Gustafson Photo Safari

For more info on HD video click here.

And be sure to get a copy of Todd’s great book: The Photographer’s Guide to the Safari Experience.

Cheetah mother and cub, Ndutu,Tanzania. Image copyright 2010/Todd Gustafson/Gustafson Photo Safari

BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo Tours (IPTs)

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) General Information.

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Deposit and Cancellation Policies.

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Registration and Release Forms.

KATMAI BEAR BOAT IPT: July 24-31, 2012 from Kodiak, AK: $6699. Limit 6/Openings 2. Coastal Brown Bears (Grizzlies) Galore!

Coastal Brown Bears at point blank range foraging & clamming with a good chance of copulations; cubs nursing and playing. Likely additional subjects include Horned and Tufted Puffins, nesting Bald Eagle and Black-legged Kittiwake, Steller’s Sea Lion, rafts of Sea Otters and more. Halibut fishing optional.

BOSQUE del APACHE 2012 IPT: “The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 21-27, 2012. 7-FULL DAYS: $3399. Introductory Slide program: 6:30 pm on 11/20. Limit: 12/Openings 5.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks including point-blank American Wigeon and Wood Duck, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with one of (if not the) world’s premier photographic educators at one of his very favorite locations on the planet. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 18 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for me. Nobody knows the place better than I do. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the light and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable.

SW FLA IPT. FEB 16-21, 2013. Introductory slide program: 7pm on 2/15. 6-FULL DAYS: $2999. Limit: 10/Openings 7.

Co-leaders: TBA. My bread and butter trip; learn the basics and the advanced fine points from the best; escape winter’s icy grip and enjoy tons of tame birds! Subjects will include nesting Great Blue Heron and Great Egret, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Mottled Duck, Brown and White Pelican at point-blank range, Snowy & Reddish Egret, Tricolored Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Osprey, wintering shorebirds and plovers, gulls and terns, & Burrowing Owl. All ridiculously tame.

Click here to learn more about this IPT.

GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience. July 2-16, 2013 on the boat. 13 FULL and two 1/2 days of photography: $12,749. Limit 13/Openings: 6.

July 2-16, 2013 on the boat. Fly to Quito on June 30. Travel insurance day: July 1. Fly to the archipelago on July 2. Get off the boat on July 16. Spend that afternoon and evening in Puerto Ayora (lunch & dinner on your own). Fly to Quito on July 17. Fly home on the early morning of July 18. $12,749 includes just about everything including all transfers, guide and park fees, all food on the boat, your flights to the archipelago, and four nights in top notch hotels–three in Quito and one on Puerto Ayora. Non-refundable deposit: $5,000. Limit 14 including the leader/Openings: 8

Briefly, my two-week trips are without equal. The world’s best guide, a killer itinerary, a great boat (the Samba), and the best leader with seven Galapagos cruises under his belt. The great spots include Tower Island (including Prince Phillips Steps and Darwin Bay), Hood Island (including Punta Suarez, the world’s only nesting site of Waved Albatross, and Gardner Bay)—each of the preceding are world class wildlife photography designations that rank right up there with Antarctica, Africa, and Midway), Fernandina, Puerto Ayora for the tortoises, Puerto Egas—James Bay, North Seymour, South Plaza, Black Turtle Cove, Floreana, Urbina Bay, and China Hat. Plus tons more. And lots of snorkeling for those who wish to partake. All park fees, meals except as noted above, guide fees, ground transportation, and the flights to and from the Galapagos are included.

Join me on Midway and photograph three species of albatross until your arms are too tired to lift your rig…. Click on the composite image to enjoy a larger version.

MIDWAY 2013

MIDWAY ATOLL BAA IPT: March 25, 2013 (from Honolulu, Oahu, HI) 7-FULL DAYS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: $7895 ALL INCLUSIVE FROM HNL. Trip dates and price tentative. Limit: 14/Openings 9.

The trip is pending government approval which, if it comes, will be within a week or two at most. The price is firm barring any fee increases on Midway. If the 2013 trips does not go the great likelihood is that Midway will once again be closed to tourism (as it was for almost ten years not long ago…)

The group will fly to Midway from the Charter Aircraft Hangar on the late afternoon of March 25, 2013. You will need to be in Honolulu by late morning on the 25th. For safety’s sake, I will be arriving in Honolulu on March 24 to avoid missing the charter flight. You should do the same. If you plan to arrive on the 25th and are delayed, you will miss the charter flight and will not be able to get to Midway. Period. If you do choose to arrive on the 24th as advised, the hotel is on your dime.

We will arrive at Midway after dark on the 25th. We will leave Midway well after dark on April 1 arriving in Honolulu during the very early morning of April 2, usually between 1 and 2 am. The cost of a hotel day-room is included in the trip. If you need late check-out (after noon on the 2nd) that will be on your dime too. Most flights back to the US are red-eyes.

We will enjoy seven full days of photography. We will enjoy hundreds of thousands of nesting albatrosses both Laysan and Black-footed. We will see and photograph (and video if you like) chicks of all sizes and the incredibly intricate courtship displays of both species. You will be able to create head portraits of both species with a 70-200 lens. We will enjoy hours of albatross flight photography. The morning runway flight photography is incredible. It is likely that we will see and get to photograph the exceedingly rare Short-tailed Albatross (though briefly because of access restrictions). We will see and photograph White (formerly Fairy) Tern as well as Red-tailed Tropicbird. After lunch on sunny days the skies in front of the Clipper House will be filled with courting Red-tailed Tropicbirds. Other likely subjects include Lasyan Duck, Pacific Golden-Plover and Bristle-thighed Curlew. Those who bring their flashes will be able to photograph Bonin’s Petrel after dark. I will likely leave my flash at home as there are severe weight restrictions on this trip; each of us will be limited to about 60 pounds total.

These courting Red-tailed Tropicbirds were photographed with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens, the 1.4X III TC (hand held at 280mm), and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/2500 sec. at f/10 in Manual mode. Central Sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Make sure to bring a flight lens to lunch every day!

We will make a one day boat trip, about a 15 minute ride, to Eastern Island where we will see and photograph nesting Red-footed Booby and nesting Great Frigatebird with inflated red gular pouches. Grey-backed Tern and several other species are possible. And of course there will be zillions of nesting Laysan Albatrosses there. We can expect two species of noddy on the trip, Brown and Black–I think that the Black Noddies are more likely on Eastern Island. Both islands are rife with historical significance, derelict buildings and hangars, and artifacts; the naval battle of Midway was the turning point in World War II.

Midway is a world renowned wildlife photography destination that ranks right up there with Antarctica, East Africa, Japan in winter, and the Galapagos. And like the Galapagos, most of the wildlife is inordinately tame. Click on the composite image to enjoy a larger version.

In order to cover the huge expense of the round-trip charter aircraft to and from Midway Island this trip needs to fill in order to run. In the almost unimaginable event that this minimum is not met, or if the trip is denied government approval, your deposit will of course be refunded in full. It is otherwise non-refundable. Once the trip is confirmed you will be advised to purchase trip cancellation insurance. I do expect this trip to fill in very short order. A waiting list will be created for those who are late to respond. Please hold off purchasing plane tickets until you hear that the trip is a go. Do note that while many trips are advertised as once in a lifetime, this one may very well be that once in a lifetime opportunity as there is constant talk that each season may be the very last.

What’s included? The round trip charter airfare from HNL to Midway and back, all lodging and meals on Midway. The food, both American and Thai, is killer good so do not plan on losing any weight, all associated national park fees as well as transport via large golf cart. For the most part we will stay together as a group. Those wishing to photograph on their own with some restrictions may rent bikes. Also included is in-the-field instruction. Informal image sharing and Photoshop instruction will be available most days for those sitting next to me or looking over my shoulder in the lobby of Charley Barracks early mornings, evenings, and during break time. I do try to catch a short nap each day.

What’s not included: The cost of the airfare from your home to and from HNL. Your meals in Honolulu. The cost of your hotel room on March 25th and late check out if needed on April 2. Personal items and souvenirs purchased on Midway.

If you are a happy camper and wish to register for this trip please call us at 863-692-0906 immediately. If no answer do not leave a message but do send an e-mail to me at samandmayasgrandpa@att.net. You will be given instructions for sending a deposit check for $800 to us here: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245 (mail) or 4041 Granada Drive (courier), Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. In the almost un-imaginable event that the minimum of 14 folks is not met, or if the trip is denied government approval, your deposit will of course be refunded in full. It is otherwise non-refundable.

For the folks who have never traveled with us, please remember, happy campers only. If you are a bitter and unhappy person we do not care to travel with you. If you are pleasant, fun, easy to get along with and know how to act in the field with a group, we would be delighted to have you along.

This Great Frigatebird with its pouch inflated was photographed on the Sand Island outing with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/200 sec. at f/13 in Manual mode. Central Sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus AF and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

CONTEST UPDATE

The BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition has been going great guns. Additional folks are getting in on the fun each day. And many folks who had previously finished their entries have been taking advantage of the extension by uploading even stronger images. Thanks to those who responded to my Hand of Man pleas; it is now one of our strongest categories. While each of the following categories has some very strong images there is still room for improvement: Small in the Frame/Environmental, Pleasing Blurs, Youth, and especially Captive (photographs of captive, zoo, pet, or rehab birds).

Those of you who have been in the dark can learn more about the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition here or by visiting the main contest page here.

Judge’s Favorite from the Action category. Image copyright 2012 in the name of the creator. This is obviously a superb image. What will the other judges think of it?

Important Contest News

While you may upload images until 11:59pm eastern time on April 30, 2012, the very last day for registering for the contest and for making eligible B&H purchases will be Monday, April 23, 2012. This will give us time to process your registrations and verify your B&H purchases and will give you time to upload your images successfully. Good luck to all.

Do save your e-mail receipts for eligible B&H purchases made after Monday, April 23 as you will be able to use them for entry into the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition; details will be announced in several months. Please remember, only B&H purchases made using the product-specific BAA B&H affiliate links in the Bulletins or on the blog or the more general link here qualify. See additional details by scrolling down to item 2 here. If in doubt, simply start your B&H searches by clicking here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/?BI=6633&KBID=7226

Judge’s Favorite from the Action category: American Bittern head portrait; I love the way the background works with the bird. Image copyright 2012 in the name of the creator. What will the other judges think of it?

THE BLOG IS THE BOMB

Even while in Morro Bay I continued 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 have a problem subscribing, please contact us via e-mail. 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 links to recent posts of interest:

If you have ever been upset over getting poor customer service from any big firm you will not want to miss Seven Miles Off Topic; Powerless?

If you like to photograph flowers, check out Unexpected.

Like shorebird photography? Check out my 5D MIII Long-billed Curlew images here.

Learn what to do when the winds gust to 50 mph in Frozen and Battered (in California no yet!)

And with over 5,000 hits in a single day, The Canon EOS-5D Mark III; I’m In Love post was the most popular ever.

If you’ve been dreaming of making a trip to the Antarctic Continent you will surely want to click here.

Be sure to subscribe to the blog posts by clicking here if you do not want to miss more great stuff on the 5D Mark III including some high ISO images. And coming soon there will be a detailed comparison of the 800mm f/5.6L IS and the long-awaited 600mm f/4L IS II. The latter in response to a zillion e-mails.

POSSE NEWS/ROBERT AMORUSO

Great Egret – Gatorland – ©2010 Robert Amoruso. I envisioned this image for years and finally created it in 2010. Understanding how to balance ambient light with flash exposure allowed me to do this. Canon 7D with 70-200mm @98mm. 1/1600 sec, f/5.6, Manual, Evaluative, ISO 400, E-TTL Flash.

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

The ORIGINAL Gatorland Photographic Instructional Workshops

Three-Day Long-Weekend Workshop: May 18, 19 and 20. All 2012. Extensive in-the-field instruction at East Central Florida’s best rookery location: Gatorland in Kissimmee, FL. Includes morning and afternoon classroom presentations: Successful Strategies in Avian Rookery Photography and image editing and post-processing workflows. The three-day workshop adds indoor presentations on thinking creatively. In-the-field instruction includes learning to isolate your subject, understanding light, getting the proper exposure, using depth of field to your advantage, using fill-flash and lots more. Classroom sessions are held onsite at Gatorland. A CD with lesson plans is included.

Learn more here.

Roseate Spoonbills – SAAF – ©2011 Robert Amoruso. Understanding bird behavior will help you to capture images like this. Canon 7D with 100-400mm @169mm. 1/1600 sec, f/5.6, Manual, Evaluative, ISO 400, E-TTL Flash.

St. Augustine Photographic Instructional Workshop

April 19-22, 2012 – three and one-half days of extensive field and classroom instruction at the famous St. Augustine Alligator Farm with Robert Amoruso and Robert O’Toole. We will be using the Alligator Farm’s Education Center for meetings and equipment storage between morning and afternoon sessions. The weather is pleasant and the birds will be courting, building nests, and copulating. There will likely be a few tiny Great Egret chicks. This workshop includes cover the same topics as the Gatorland workshops. Sigma Pro Robert O’Toole will provide additional in classroom and in-the-field instruction; we will have both Nikon and Canon equipment covered; don’t fret all camera systems are welcome. Robert O’Toole will also be sharing his Quick Masking techniques with you. CD with Amoruso lesson plans included.

Learn more here.

Roseate Spoonbills – MINWR – ©2011 Robert Amoruso. A light colored bird against a bright water background (pre-dawn) required a +3 increase in exposure over the metered metered exposure. Join us to learn why. Canon 1D Mark III with 600mm f/4 IS + 1.4x TCII. 1/80 sec, f/5.6, AV, Evaluative, EC +3 stops, ISO 800.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR) and Viera Wetlands – November 29 to December 2, 2012

This workshop lead by Robert Amoruso will visit some of the most diverse wildlife and avian photography locations in East Central Florida including Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), Canaveral National Seashore and Viera Wetlands.
Both MINWR and Viera Wetlands will be flush with avian activity. Migratory ducks are normally present in great numbers. White Pelican opportunities are excellent. The year-round residents include Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tri-colored Heron, Great Blue Heron, White and Glossy Ibis and Roseate Spoonbill. Reddish Egret populations are quite abundant so expect to see many. If time allows the threatened Florida Scrub Jay will be a primary query at a nearby scrub habitat sanctuary. The Scrub Jays are particularly cooperative at the sanctuary offering excellent photographic opportunities of this handsome bird.
This workshops concentration is on field technique. Indoor sessions include presentations on Visual Dynamics in Avian photography, Using Manual Exposure, and image editing and post-processing workflows.

Learn more and check out the great slide show images 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.

BLOG and NEWSLETTER

E-mail Robert to receive his educational newsletter. Robert’s blog covers photographic locations, how-to tips, workshop information, and more.

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.

Earn Free Contest Entries and Support both the Bulletins and the Blog by making all your B & H purchases here.

More and more folks are earning multiple contest entries with their B & H purchases. See here for details on that. Eleven great categories, 34 winning and honored images, and prize pools valued in excess of $20,000. Click here to visit the competition home page.

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of gear that I used to create the image in this blog post. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder with the 2X III teleconverter. I also use it a lot–with the 1.4X III TC.
Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. My two Mark IVs are my workhorse digital camera bodies.

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….
Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
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.
CR-80 Replacement Foot for Canon 800. When using the 800 on a Mongoose as I do, replacing the lens foot with this accessory lets the lens sit like a dog whether pointed up or down and prevents wind-blown spinning of your lens on breezy days by centering the lens directly over the tripod.
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.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV User’s Guide. Learn to use your Mark IV the way that I use mine. Also available for the 7D and the Mark III here.
BreezeBrowser. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program.

BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo Tours (IPTs)

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) General Information.

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Deposit and Cancellation Policies.

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Registration and Release Forms.

KATMAI BEAR BOAT IPT: July 24-31, 2012 from Kodiak, AK: $6699. Limit 6/Openings 2. Coastal Brown Bears (Grizzlies) Galore!

Coastal Brown Bears at point blank range foraging & clamming with a good chance of copulations; cubs nursing and playing. Likely additional subjects include Horned and Tufted Puffins, nesting Bald Eagle and Black-legged Kittiwake, Steller’s Sea Lion, rafts of Sea Otters and more. Halibut fishing optional.

BOSQUE del APACHE 2012 IPT: “The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 21-27, 2012. 7-FULL DAYS: $3399. Introductory Slide program: 6:30 pm on 11/20. Limit: 12/Openings 5.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks including point-blank American Wigeon and Wood Duck, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with one of (if not the) world’s premier photographic educators at one of his very favorite locations on the planet. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 18 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for me. Nobody knows the place better than I do. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the light and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable.

SW FLA IPT. FEB 16-21, 2013. Introductory slide program: 7pm on 2/15. 6-FULL DAYS: $2999. Limit: 10/Openings 7.

Co-leaders: TBA. My bread and butter trip; learn the basics and the advanced fine points from the best; escape winter’s icy grip and enjoy tons of tame birds! Subjects will include nesting Great Blue Heron and Great Egret, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Mottled Duck, Brown and White Pelican at point-blank range, Snowy & Reddish Egret, Tricolored Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Osprey, wintering shorebirds and plovers, gulls and terns, & Burrowing Owl. All ridiculously tame.

Click here to learn more about this IPT.

GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience. July 2-16, 2013 on the boat. 13 FULL and two 1/2 days of photography: $12,749. Limit 13/Openings: 6.

July 2-16, 2013 on the boat. Fly to Quito on June 30. Travel insurance day: July 1. Fly to the archipelago on July 2. Get off the boat on July 16. Spend that afternoon and evening in Puerto Ayora (lunch & dinner on your own). Fly to Quito on July 17. Fly home on the early morning of July 18. $12,749 includes just about everything including all transfers, guide and park fees, all food on the boat, your flights to the archipelago, and four nights in top notch hotels–three in Quito and one on Puerto Ayora. Non-refundable deposit: $5,000. Limit 14 including the leader/Openings: 8

Briefly, my two-week trips are without equal. The world’s best guide, a killer itinerary, a great boat (the Samba), and the best leader with seven Galapagos cruises under his belt. The great spots include Tower Island (including Prince Phillips Steps and Darwin Bay), Hood Island (including Punta Suarez, the world’s only nesting site of Waved Albatross, and Gardner Bay)—each of the preceding are world class wildlife photography designations that rank right up there with Antarctica, Africa, and Midway), Fernandina, Puerto Ayora for the tortoises, Puerto Egas—James Bay, North Seymour, South Plaza, Black Turtle Cove, Floreana, Urbina Bay, and China Hat. Plus tons more. And lots of snorkeling for those who wish to partake. All park fees, meals except as noted above, guide fees, ground transportation, and the flights to and from the Galapagos are included.

This image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at +1 stop off the blue sky: 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Central Sensor–Expand AF area/Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to enjoy a larger, more spectacular version.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE Canon EOS-5D Mark III

What can I say? I fell in love with the 5D III on my first trip down to the lake. The files are too sweet and the AF system is surely the best ever. By a mile. I can’t wait to get to Morro Bay! For the whole story and three more images from that first morning see this blog post: The Canon EOS-5D Mark III: I’m In Love!

Judge’s Favorite from the Digital Creations category: Palm Warbler. Image copyright 2012 in the name of the creator. Though Digital Creations is on the weak side I do love this one. What will the other judges think of it? I would love to see some killer Fractalius images in this category.

THE CONTEST IS BOILING HOT!

With the contest deadline–March 31, 2012 fast approaching things are at a fever pitch here as as many as 30 folks have been signing up every day. Though several folks have purchased two or three entries the record is ten! We hope that your images make it in time for the judging. While there are dozens of potential winning images in the Bird Portraits and Flight categories the rest are pretty much wide open. Particularly weak are Pleasing Blurs, Hand of Man, and Captive…

BTW, if you pay without registering you will not here from us. It is best to register first and then pay or send us your qualifying B&H receipt. If you are late to the party click here for complete info on the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition. What are you waiting for? There are more than $22,000 worth of great prizes there for the taking.

Judge’s Favorite from the Flight category: Northern Pintail in flight/full downstroke. Image copyright 2012 in the name of the creator. There are some very strong images in the Flight category. What will the other judges think of it?

GEAR FOR SALE/PRICE REDUCED

Robert Hawkins is offering a used Canon EOS-1D Mark II in excellent condition for sale for $995.00. Includes the manual along with one battery and the battery charger. There is a small ding on the lug on the upper left of the camera where the camera strap is inserted. UPS Ground shipping to the continental U.S. is included. Photos of the camera available via e-mail request. You can reach Bob as follows; home phone: 727-363-1687, cell phone: 727-501-6181, or via e-mail. I used the camera for years and loved it. Clean files and a very good AF system. And it focuses to f/8.

Judge’s Favorite from the Small in the Frame/Environmental category: Black-necked Stilt. Image copyright 2012 in the name of the creator. There are some very strong images in the Flight category. What will the other judges think of it? Small in the frame images should include gorgeous habitat.

A VERY NICE e-MAIL

I received this very nice (and timely) e-mail from Tom Ryan:

Art, Just wanted to drop you a note letting you know of a recent B&H Photo order. I dont know when/how you receive confirmation or if it contains any information on the person ordering, but I did use your referral link for an order of around $5700. I’m a regular reader of your bulletins, though not a subscriber and you have answered a few questions of mine via email in the past. Considering that all of that is basically “free” to everyone, using your links for purchasing was really a no-brainer! Continued success and I look forward to future bulletins and more great content! Best regards, Tom

Judge’s Favorite from the Hand of Man category: ducking climbing out of reflecting pool. Image copyright 2012 in the name of the creator. This one certainly fits the category perfectly!

B&H LINKS OF NOTE

You can pre-order your Canon EOS-5D Mark III here. A second shipment is expected soon.

Even better, you can have a 5D Mark III shipped today if you package it with my favorite B-roll lens, the 24-105mm IS L zoom lens. I try never to leave home without it. The package represents a savings of $350. Here is the link for the 5D MIII/24-105mm kit.

Click here to learn more about the 24-105 and see the price of the lens alone….

B&H CANON SPECIALS

Click here to learn of the fantastic Canon lens & Speedlite Double Instant Rebates. The double rebates kick in only when an item is bundled with one of three selected Canon dSLR bodies including the EOS-7D and the EOS-5D MII a(the latter saved my butt in Antarctica!) Included are lots of my favorite lenses: the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM AF zoom lens (save $220), my beloved Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto zoom lens (save $400!), the EF 300mm f/4.0L IS USM AF lens–great for birds and butterflies with a 7D (save $180), the EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM AF lens–I sent mine to Morro Bay for the California poppies (save $180), and two old faves of mine, the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS zoom lens (save $220) and my old “toy lens”, the EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Autofocus Lens (save $180).

These offers expire at the end of the week and will not be extended so best to act now to take advantage of some great savings.

Upcoming B&H Passover Closing

Those wishing to earn contest entry credits with their B&H purchases–B&H is the principal contest sponsor–please note:

B&H will be closed Friday April 6th in observance of Passover and will reopen on Sunday April 15th at 10:00AM EST. Orders must be placed by 4:00PM EST on Thursday April 5th in order to ship before the Holiday. Orders placed after this time will ship when they reopen. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patronage.

Judge’s Favorite from the Behavior category: squabbling Black Skimmer chicks in early morning light. Image copyright 2012 in the name of the creator. There are a very few strong images in this category…. What will the other judges think of this one?

BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo Tours (IPTs)

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) General Information.

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Deposit and Cancellation Policies.

Click here for BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Registration and Release Forms.

KATMAI BEAR BOAT IPT: July 24-31, 2012 from Kodiak, AK: $6699. Limit 6/Openings 2. Coastal Brown Bears (Grizzlies) Galore!

Coastal Brown Bears at point blank range foraging & clamming with a good chance of copulations; cubs nursing and playing. Likely additional subjects include Horned and Tufted Puffins, nesting Bald Eagle and Black-legged Kittiwake, Steller’s Sea Lion, rafts of Sea Otters and more. Halibut fishing optional.

BOSQUE del APACHE 2012 IPT: “The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 21-27, 2012. 7-FULL DAYS: $3399. Introductory Slide program: 6:30 pm on 11/20. Limit: 12/Openings 5.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks including point-blank American Wigeon and Wood Duck, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with one of (if not the) world’s premier photographic educators at one of his very favorite locations on the planet. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 18 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for me. Nobody knows the place better than I do. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the light and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable.

SW FLA IPT. FEB 16-21, 2013. Introductory slide program: 7pm on 2/15. 6-FULL DAYS: $2999. Limit: 10/Openings 7.

Co-leaders: TBA. My bread and butter trip; learn the basics and the advanced fine points from the best; escape winter’s icy grip and enjoy tons of tame birds! Subjects will include nesting Great Blue Heron and Great Egret, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Mottled Duck, Brown and White Pelican at point-blank range, Snowy & Reddish Egret, Tricolored Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Osprey, wintering shorebirds and plovers, gulls and terns, & Burrowing Owl. All ridiculously tame.

Click here to learn more about this IPT.

GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience. July 2-16, 2013 on the boat. 13 FULL and two 1/2 days of photography: $12,749. Limit 13/Openings: 6.

July 2-16, 2013 on the boat. Fly to Quito on June 30. Travel insurance day: July 1. Fly to the archipelago on July 2. Get off the boat on July 16. Spend that afternoon and evening in Puerto Ayora (lunch & dinner on your own). Fly to Quito on July 17. Fly home on the early morning of July 18. $12,749 includes just about everything including all transfers, guide and park fees, all food on the boat, your flights to the archipelago, and four nights in top notch hotels–three in Quito and one on Puerto Ayora. Non-refundable deposit: $5,000. Limit 14 including the leader/Openings: 8

Briefly, my two-week trips are without equal. The world’s best guide, a killer itinerary, a great boat (the Samba), and the best leader with seven Galapagos cruises under his belt. The great spots include Tower Island (including Prince Phillips Steps and Darwin Bay), Hood Island (including Punta Suarez, the world’s only nesting site of Waved Albatross, and Gardner Bay)—each of the preceding are world class wildlife photography designations that rank right up there with Antarctica, Africa, and Midway), Fernandina, Puerto Ayora for the tortoises, Puerto Egas—James Bay, North Seymour, South Plaza, Black Turtle Cove, Floreana, Urbina Bay, and China Hat. Plus tons more. And lots of snorkeling for those who wish to partake. All park fees, meals except as noted above, guide fees, ground transportation, and the flights to and from the Galapagos are included.