BIRDS AS ART BULLETIN #422

• South Georgia/Falkland Islands Southern Oceans Trip Report
• EOS-5D Mark III User’s Guide
• Bosque/Albuquerque Thanksgiving Buffet Invite
• Bosque del Apache IPT Late Registration Discount Announcement
• Bosque on Facebook
• Tim Grey’s Pixology Magazine
• Used Camera Gear for Sale
• BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Barnegat Jetty IPT
• NYC Seminar Door Prizes!
• Woman Roommates Needed
• IPT Updates

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This three-frame Art Vivid in-camera HDR image of two adult King Penguins standing above a plain of young oakum boys was created at St. Andrews Bay with the tripod mounted Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS EF USM AF Lens (hand held at 84mm) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) w/FREE Bonus Items – $160.75 Value! [expires 11/24]!. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/125 sec. at f/16 in Manual mode. Central sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus AF and recompose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger version. I thank the two penguins in the foreground for remaining stock-still during the exposure. Though the views from the ridge at St. Andrews Bay were not as spectacular as they are in January when the colony is filled with hundreds of thousands of adults, it was still very impressive. Most who were on the October trip expressed a desire to return three months later. When even the remotest possibility of doing some serious land-scape or bird-scape work with a short lens exists, I make sure to have a Wimberley P-5 plate and my Giottos MH 1302-655 Ballhead in my vest. It takes less than two minutes to mount the plate on the camera body, spin off the Mongoose M3.6, and replace it with the tiny ballhead.

South Georgia/Falkland Islands Southern Oceans Expedition Report

Denise Ippolito and I just got back from a killer Cheesemans’ Ecology Safari Southern Oceans Expedition to South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. There were about 70 participants in all, 16 of those folks signed up under the auspices of BIRDS AS ART. In addition there were other BAA friends aboard. Special thanks to all who had faith in me: (Rusty-)Chuck & Nancy Bell, Soren & Vibeke Breiting of Denmark, Bill Fraser, Aravind Krishnaswamy, Bob and Hanno Lewis, Alan & Pat Lillich (please say a prayer or send some extra love, strength and energy to Pat who is undergoing surgery today), Christopher Marsham of the UK, Paul Mckenzie of Hong Kong, Joshua Ong, Clemens van der Werf, and Michael and Lyndsey VIljoen of South Africa. In addition, I made many new photograph friends. As you can see, folks from all over the world travel with Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris.

After a nearly 3-day navigation from Port Stanley in the Falklands to the island of South Georgia, we made about 15 landings (or zodiac cruises) over the course of 10 days. These included full days at the two spectacular King Penguin colonies at St. Andrews Bay and Salisbury Plain. In addition, we completed the rare circumnavigation of South Georgia. Having done really well there with both weather and opportunities we left a day early to spend another 3 days at sea en route to the Falklands. We wound up having to leave there a day early to get the ship to Ushuaia ahead of an approaching storm. But the extra day off was appreciated by most folks as the action in the Falklands was spectacular and the days and the hikes had been long, challenging, and exhausting. We hiked about 7 miles on the first landing at Sea Lion Island on the first Falklands day. It drizzled a bit on us at Steeple Jason but many folks including me stayed out until 4pm. And our last landings at New Island were fabulous.

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This image of a breeding plumage King (or Imperial) Cormorant (aka Blue-eyed Shag) was also created with the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Lens, the Canon 1.4x EF tele-extender III, and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) w/FREE Bonus Items – $160.75 Value! [expires 11/24]!. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/1600 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. Left of center sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version.

Then it was 2 more days at sea to get back to Ushuaia to catch our Saturday morning flights home. I got back to Indian Lake Estates at about 2pm on Sunday and Denise arrived at her home in Brielle, NJ at about 6pm. She was glad to learn that her home did not suffer any damage at all from Hurricane Sandy (though there was tremendous devastation nearby).

Kudos to expedition leader Ted Cheeseman for putting together the great itinerary and pulling it off. He made several major changes due to sea conditions and all were spot on. The Cheesemans’ staff greatest skill is in getting folks safely in and out of the zodiacs and onto shore even in condition where most other tour companies would call it a day. In addition all were knowledgeable and helpful, and trust me, at 66 I appreciated their help.

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This image of a Northern Royal Albatross was created from the ship as we sailed from South Georgia to the Falklands with the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Lens, the Canon 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) w/FREE Bonus Items – $160.75 Value! [expires 11/24]!. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 stops off the sky: 1/4000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. I used the 300 II with the 1.4X III and the 5D III for most of the photography from the boat but for whatever reason the giant albatross species, Southern and Northern Royal and Wandering) stayed far back while following the boat so I went to the 2X III TC in an effort to get more pixels on the bird. This is a crop from a horizontal capture. CES staffers Joe Kaplan (auctioneer supreme) and Dave Shoch kindly helped me with the seabird IDs when they were not on the bridge helping others while spotting the rarer seabirds and a variety of marine mammals.

As you can see above, most days at sea provided some excellent opportunities for photographing seabirds from the Ushuaia, the ice-worthy vessel that was our home for three weeks. This one was created on a very rough afternoon…. To see lots of great King Penguin images from the trip click here and here. To see a wonderful collection of Denise’s images (including her killer head and neck portrait of the rare Grey-headed Albatross), click here. To see a killer collection of Clemens van der Werf’s images, many executed in the BIRDS AS ART style, click here and give the two South Georgia portfolios a minute or two to load.

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This image of a groups of molting adult King Penguins and snow-covered hillsides was created at Right Whale Bay, South Georgia with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens (at 190mm) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) w/FREE Bonus Items – $160.75 Value! [expires 11/24]!. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/400 sec. at f/7.1 in Av 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 see the spectacular larger version. I visualized this image as soon as I got off the zodiac but had to wait a while until several other trip participants were out of the scene. We had so much fun at Right Whale Bay that Ted arranged for us to make this landing again right before departing for the Falklands.

EOS-5D Mark III User’s Guide

With the wreck of my EOS-1D X (see “Wrecked. And Loving It” for complete details), I went to my 5D Mark III as my workhorse camera body. It performed flawlessly surviving some heavy drizzle, sand, grit, and extensive use. I used it almost exclusively for seabird flight photography from the ship. As I have said from the get-go, the 5D Mark III’s new AF system is superb.

You can learn everything about it including my custom case for flight photography, my favorite AF Area Selection Modes, how I use the great HDR and Multiple Exposure Features, and pretty much everything that I know about this great lightweight camera here. I will be updating the guide in January. All updates are free.

Learn more or purchase here.

To thank us for all the free info that we provide on the blog, in Bulletins, and via e-mail, or if your decision to purchase a 5D III was influenced by what you learned here, please use one of our B&H affiliate links immediately below to order and e-mail me a copy of your receipt. The upper logo-link is for the body alone (along with ($154.83 of free items), the lower link for a kit with the body and my B-roll lens, the 24-105mm zoom. (I never leave home without it.)

Bosque/Albuquerque Thanksgiving Buffet Invite

For the past ten years or so I have hosted a midday Thanksgiving Day meal, in part to honor the memory of my late-wife, Elaine Belsky Morris, and in part because I love meeting others who love Bosque as I do. At first it was held at the wonderful and relatively elegant Val Verde Steak House in Socorro, now defunct. Then it was held at the lovely and historic Luna Mansion. Luna Mansion closed a few years ago and recently re-opened but no longer serves Thanksgiving Day. In 2009 we had fun and a fine meal at the Stage Door Grill but that wonderful little joint recently bit the dust also. Socorro is a tough place for businesses to survive. In 2010 we went a bit upscale and dined in the New Mexico Ballroom at the Hilton Albuquerque hotel. There was tons of food and it was all delicious.

The Hilton is now a Crowne Plaza and the good news is that they are having the buffet again this year as they did in 2011. I will be picking up the tab for the IPT group, but as always, all visiting birders and photographers are invited to join us. If you would like to take part in the fun and camaraderie this year please send a check for $45.00 per person made out to “”Arthur Morris”” to cover the cost of the buffet that will include all the traditional items plus lots more as well as tax and tip. Drinks are on you. Please mark ““Thanksgiving Buffet” on your check and mail it to; BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 4041, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Be sure to include your e-mail address on your check and in a short note. Sorry, no PayPals or credit cards for this. I do hope that you can join us.

I have group reservations for Thanksgiving Day (of course). Those joining us will need to be at the hotel at 11:30 am sharp. It is located at 1901 University Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102, about an hour up I-25 from the Super 8 Motel in Socorro where I have stayed happily with my groups for well more than a decade. I do hope that you can join us.

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Are IPTs expensive? Of course they are. For good reason. The most experienced, knowledgeable, and hardest working leaders. Great Photoshop instruction. Great folks. And great food. For a greater appreciation of the composite image, click on the photo. Click on the enlarged version to close it.

Bosque del Apache IPT Late Registration Discount Announcement

With four openings on this IPT and me headed out of town till 11/11 we are glad to announce a healthy late registration discount for this great IPT. Please call Jim weekdays from 9-5 eastern time at 863-692-0906 for details and leave a message if he is at the post office.

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Nobody alive or dead knows Bosque better than I do. Do consider joining us for the educational experience of a lifetime. For a greater appreciation of the composite image, click on the photo. Click on the enlarged version to close it.

BOSQUE del APACHE 2012 IPT: “The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 21-27, 2012. 7-FULL DAYS: $3399. Co-leaders: Denise Ippolito, landscape photography expert Jim Heupel, and Photoshop expert Mike Hannisian. Introductory Slide program: 6:30 pm on 11/20. Limit: 12/Openings 4.

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.

Bosque on Facebook

Visit Bosque on Facebook here and bookmark the page. It’s a great way to keep up on current events and refuge conditions.

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Tim Grey’s Pixology Magazine

Pixology magazine, an e-Magazine written and produced by Photoshop guru Tim Grey, debuted this past August. Tim kindly sent me the last three issues for review. Ruined my night. I had planned to get some work done before hitting the sack but I became engrossed in each issue…. Educational, amazingly thorough, interesting, and revealing are a few words that come to mind. Tim has a knack for taking a simple subject that you think you know everything about–the Spot Healing Brush (Cleanup in a Pinch/OCT 2012) or Levels (Levels in Detail/SEPT 2012) for example, and creating a 5 or 10 page treatise that really opens your eyes. Travel and gear pieces, articles on Photoshop 6, Lightroom, NIK stuff, and Elements 11 tips and issues, and interviews with top pros are all written in Tim’s pleasant, easy-to-read, easy-to understand style with a good sprinkling of his wry sense of humor sprinkled throughout; in the November issue Tim interviews himself and does a great job of it.

You can subscribe today by clicking here or on the logo-link above.

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This image of a Rockhopper Penguin carrying nesting material was created at New Island, the Falklands with the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Lens, the Canon 1.4x EF tele-extender III, and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) w/FREE Bonus Items – $160.75 Value! [expires 11/24]!. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/1250 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode. Left, slightly above center sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. After I destroyed my 500mm f/4L IS II/EOS-1D X combo–see the “Wrecked. And Loving It” blog post–the 300 f/2.8L IS II/EOS-5D Mark III combo provided a fabulous back-up rig. I got lucky here as I kept underexposing this image but the bird held its pose for more than a minute until I got it right. In retrospect, I should have been at 1/320 sec. at f/8. Leave a comment if you think that you know why.

Lots of Used Camera Gear for Sale

Denise Ippolito

Denise Ippolito is offering a Canon EOS-1D Mark III in very good condition for $1200.00 and a Canon EOS-5D Full Frame Sensor 12 mp Digital SLR Camera in excellent condition for $800.00. Please contact Denise via e-mail.

Bob Hawkins

Bob Hawkins is offering a used Canon 400mm f/5.6L lens–my old “toy lens,” killer for flight, in like-new condition for $1,000 including ground shipping in the continental U.S. The lens was used for only 2-3 hours. Guaranteed payment or a cleared check is required before making shipment. You can reach Bob via e-mail or try him on his cell at 727-363-1687. If no answer try his wife’s cell at 727-385-1658.

Steve Vige

Steve Vige is offering the following used gear for sale:

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

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

Shelly Goldstein

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

Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens in excellent condition with LensCoat, the RRS LCF-50 Arca style replacement foot, the original foot with all the screws, and all the original stuff including the lens trunk and leather hood. This one is an absolute steal at $6899. It will likely sell in minutes as we have sold others recently with less extras for more.

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

Cindy Cox

Cindy Cox is offering the following used gear for sale:

Canon EOS 5D Full Frame Sensor 12 mp Digital SLR Camera in excellent condition for $750.00 (mirror recently replaced by Canon). Buyer pays shipping.
Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS EF USM AF lens in excellent condition for $750.00. Buyer pays shipping. (This is artie’s favorite B-roll lens; he never leaves home without it.)

Please contact Cindy via e-mail.

BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Barnegat Jetty IPT

Barnegat Jetty IPT, Barnegat Light, NJ: 2 1/2 DAYS. DEC 20 (1:30pm), 21, and 22, 2012: $999. Limit 8. Includes 5 photo-sessions, both lunches, introductory slide program (DEC 20), Photoshop session (DEC 21), and image sharing at lunch DEC 22.

Join Arthur Morris and Denise Ippolito for a 2 1/2 Day Instructional Photo-Tour at the infamous Barnegat Jetty in Barnegat Light, New Jersey. Artie and Denise will teach you how to get close to the ducks and shorebirds that frequent this famed winter birding and photography hotspot, how to get the right exposure every time, and how to see, understand, and tackle a variety of photographic situations. Each will conduct a killer Photoshop session. We should have some excellent chances with Harlequin Duck and Purple Sandpiper, the two headliner species. With any luck we should get to photograph most of these species: Long-tailed Duck (formerly Oldsquaw), Common Loon, Red-throated Loon, Red-breasted Merganser, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, Common Eider, Brant, Dunlin, Ruddy Turnstone, Black-bellied Plover, and Sanderling . Great Black-backed, Herring, and Ring-billed Gulls are also likely. Sunning Harbor Seals are possible. With the right winds we may have some good flight photography also.

Having at least a 500mm f/4 lens with a 1.4X teleconverter is recommended. Participants should be in good physical condition with a good sense of balance. Payment in full is due now. Please click here and then scroll down and read our cancellation policies. Then please print, read, and sign the necessary paperwork here and send it to us with your check.

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NYC Seminar Door Prizes!

Wow! We have put together a killer collection of door prizes for the NYC Seminar. If you live in the northeast and are not yet registered click here to join us and have a chance at winning some of the great and valuable loot below.

From ThinkTank: an Airport AirStream™ Rolling Camera Bag; meets all International carry- on regulations. A $324.75 value.
From LensCoat: a Standard LensCoat® RainCoat. A $79.99 value.
Manfrotto/Gitzo will be contributing one or more items.
From Delkin: a 32 gb 700X Compact Flash Card plus give-aways. The card is a $134.99 value.
NIK has sent a gift certificate for one copy of NIK Color Efex Pro, the Photoshop filter plug-in that has changed my digital workflow. Enter the code BAA at checkout to save 15%.
Topaz is sending a gift certificate for their black and white effects filter program.
Micheal Tapes at RAW Workflow has chipped in with a Lens Align Mark II. A $79.95 value.
You might also win a copy of The Art of Bird Photography II by Arthur Morris or a copy of A Guide to Pleasing Blurs by Arthur Morris and Denise Ipplito.

Thanks a stack to all of our generous sponsors.

Woman Roommates Needed

We are looking for single female roommates for both the Galapagos July 2013 trip and the September 2013 Bear Boat/Bears Catching Salmon IPT. See below for details on these two great trips. Please e-mail for additional info and discount info.

Shopper’s Guide

Thanks a stack to all who have used our B&H affiliate 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.

Shop B&H

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins. We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of the links above. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

And from the BAA On-line Store:

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