Birds As Art Bulletin 326

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To our Customers,

Hunt's Photo and Video is running our annual digital sale May 7th & 8th. We have two big sales each year, our digital sale and our annual Hunts show in October. These events offer the best prices of the year and I am passing on these offers exclusively to you, our phone customers. Here are just some of the hotline features; Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 7D, Canon Rebel T2I,Canon G11,Canon 800mm and the new Canon 70-200 2.8IS lens, Nikon 70-200VR lens, Nikon D3S, Nikon 500VR and 600VR lenses. Also there will be a special price on the Epson 3880 printer with a $100 mail in rebate. Don’t forget to inquire about show pricing on the Epson 7900 and 9900 printers. We also will be offering PhotoShop CS 5 at 5% off our the regular price for this event only .For amazing deals on Sigma lenses, Think Tank bags, Lenmar Batteries and other great offers, go to the link below for details.




	Click for full page flyer

During the event we expect an extremely high volume of calls. My new assistant – Antonietta Bozzella will handle incoming calls at a special number specifically established for this event only, 1-800-336-3841. To expedite your order, all calls will be transferred to either me, John Duggan or Keith Patankar. We will do our best to help you; if we’re not available please leave a voice mail and we will return your call as soon as possible.

Also, feel free to email me at digitalguygary@wbhunt.com for pricing. For a faster response to your emails please be sure to leave a contact number.

We are offering free shipping on all orders placed on May 7th, 8th & 9th only!

We will extend event pricing until 3:00 pm on May 9th

Best,
Gary

Gary Farber
Vice President of Hunt’s Photo and Video

Hunt’s is now on face book, follow Hunt's on face book with specials sales, events, announcing of new products, product availability.

Golden-fronted Woodpecker pair, Cozad Ranch, Linn, TX

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with a 25mm Extension tube and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/160 sec. at f/7.1 set manually after histogram check.

I was unable to fit both of these birds in the frame so I created separate horizontal frames of the male and the female and stitched them together in Photoshop CS 4: File/Automate/Photomerge. I was pleasantly surprised that after choosing "Reposition only" Photomerge did a perfect job. I had thought that I might have had lots of fine-tuning to do. After the two images were merged I cropped to a perfect square. There was lots of background smoothing (with the Clone Stamp Tool at 75% Opacity) and bill clean-up done. And the head of the male was selectively sharpened using a contrast mask (all as described in Digital Basics: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=32)

THE COZAD RANCH, LINN, TX

Johnny Cozad is and has been one of the growing number of Texas ranchers who has opened their ranches to photographic eco-tourism. For a very reasonable daily fee, you can enjoy his lightweight relatively cool blinds and his amazing assemblage of birds. It is the very best place that I know for photographing Painted Buntings at close range (in the first half of May). And during this period Golden-fronted Woodpeckers line up to visit strategically placed halved oranges. I visited with Johnny on five of my seven afternoons with my private day clients and we had the male Painted Bunting come to the small pond every day but one offering unparalleled opportunities. On both our morning and afternoon visits we also photographed Green Jay, Bronzed Cowbird, Mourning and White-tipped Doves and Audubon's Oriole plus a few surprise migrant species.

In October, Johnny and ranch hand Jesus set up a killer raptor station that attracts large numbers of Crested Caracara and Harris's Hawk. If you would like to visit the Cozad Ranch in the next week or two to enjoy the great photography or arrange a raptor session for next fall, you can reach Johnny on his cell phone at 956-330-1377 or by e-mail at jecoz@granderiver.net. Do know that Johnny Cozad is one of the nicest, sweetest gentlemen that you will ever meet.

Audubon's Oriole, male, Cozad Ranch, Linn, TX

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with a 25mm Extension tube and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/300 sec. at f/5.6. Fill flash at -3 stops with the Better Beamer.

This is the full frame original pretty much as it came out of the camera with adjustments to color, contrast, and brightness (all done during the ACR conversion), a bit of work on a few missing black feathers of the hood, and Selective Sharpening of the head (again, all as described in Digital Basics: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=32). This bird does not pose for pictures; it is usually on and off the set in a matter of seconds. I got lucky here as AI Servo AF (with the central sensor on the lower neck/upper breast where the black and yellow meet) yielded a perfect composition.

2011 IPT DATE ANNOUNCEMENTS: SAN DIEGO & SW FLORIDA PRESIDENT'S WEEK

The dates for these two bread and butter IPTs are announced here for the first time:

SAN DIEGO IPT JAN 19-23, 2011. Slide program on the evening of JAN 18. 5 Full Days: $2399 (Limit 8/Openings: 6). Brown Pelicans in spectacular breeding plumage with their bright red bill pouches, Wood and Ring-necked Ducks, Lesser Scaup, Western, California, and Heerman's Gulls, Marbled Godwit, and lots, lots more. See terms and deposit info below.

SW FLA PRESIDENT'S WEEK IPT: FEB 18-23, 2011. Slide program on the evening of FEB 17. 6 Full Days: 2899. (Limit 10/Openings: 8). Escape winter's icy grip to enjoy a wide array of Florida's tame birds: herons, egrets, Wood Stork, shorebirds, gulls, terns, skimmers, raptors, and more. See terms and deposit info immediately below:

Terms and deposit info:

A non-refundable deposit of $500 is required to hold a spot for each of the above IPTs. Deposits may be paid by check, PayPal, or credit card. Payment in full (by check or money order only) is due four months before the start of each trip and is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out. You will be required to sign a statement of understanding to this effect. Travel insurance is of course highly recommended. Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options, you can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage, which expands the list of reasons for your canceling to an infinite list, from a sudden work or family obligation to a simple change of mind. My family and I use and depend on the great policies offered by TIS whenever we travel. You can learn more here: http://www.travelinsure.com/what/selecthigh.asp?32940. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check of running your credit card. In addition, these policies protect you against unexpected developments, injuries, or illnesses. We regret that we must implement this policy but we have been plagued by last minute cancellations that make it impossible for others to participate and deprive us of essential income.

Important note: please print, fill out, and sign the registration and release forms and include them with your deposit check (made out to "Arthur Morris." ) If you use a credit card to register, please fill out, sign, and mail the two forms asap. Your registration will not be complete until we receive your paper work. You can find the forms here: http://www.birdsasart.com/Registration%20and%20Release%20Forms.pdf.

Painted Bunting, male soaking after bath, Cozad Ranch, Linn, TX

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the 1.4 X II TC and a 25mm Extension tube and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/200 sec. at f/8. Fill flash at -2 stops with Better Beamer.

When shade came over the tiny pond at about 7pm we got some loverly reflections.

CANON EOS-7D USER'S GUIDE

I can honestly say that the 7D guide is amazing. Pretty much everything on the 7D is brand new and many folks have been seen shaking their heads in confusion. Learn everything that you need to know about setting up and operating your camera so that you are able to consistently produce the images that you want. This all new guide will open your eyes as to the possibilities. I share all of my Menu and Custom Function settings along with the reasons for each choice. I describe each of the five AF Area Selection Modes in detail and let you know which ones I use for what and why! And I have written a totally new section on making micro-adjustments. There is a ton of stuff in this guide that you will never see or hear anywhere else. You will, for example, learn how I create, save and use three different personalized Camera User Settings. Or how to set up and use Live View for a variety of nature photography applications. The stuff on AF with Live View with lens/TC combinations that should not autofocus will blow you away…. The entire guide is of course written in my easy to read, easy to follow, designed for dunces how-to style <smile> So easy that even a child could follow along. Do note that 7D UG does not cover the creation of video.

The Canon EOS-7D User’s Guide PDF is available now. Updates--there will be at least one--will always be free.

The 7D User's Guide (7D UG) sells for $30 if you send a check or a PayPal or call with a credit card in hand. If you purchase the 7D UG through the BAA On-line store, a $2.00 discount will be applied. Order your copy today for only $28 through the store by clicking here: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=285. You will receive your PDF via e-mail so be sure to check your spam folder and security settings if you do not receive yours in a timely fashion. Do get in touch if you do not get the e-mail in a day or two (except when ordering from late Friday through Sunday <smile>)

CANON EOS-1D MARK IV USER'S GUIDE INFO

Hi Arthur, I purchased your Mark IV guide the day I got the camera, and I must say, it has really helped me. Your settings were right on the "Mark" so to speak! I have found it to be immensely helpful. Thanks! Julie Arismendi

....

The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV User’s Guide PDF is available now. Updates--there will be at least one--will always be free.

As the MIV is in many ways similar to the Canon EOS-1D MIII camera body, folks moving to the Mark IV from the Mark III will not be as challenged as those who have used any other Canon professional or pro-sumer digital camera bodies. That said there are enough new bells and whistles on the Mark IV to make the guide valuable even for experienced Mark III folks. The MIV UG is fairly comprehensive; it covers all of the camera controls including buttons, dials, and wheels and most of the menu items and Custom Functions except those dealing with video. There is a great section on how to set up and use Live View for a variety of nature photography applications. The stuff on AF with Live View with lens/TC combinations that should not autofocus will blow you away…. As always, the Mark IV UG is written in my easy to read, easy to understand style.

After following my own directions and doing the micro-adjustment on my Mark IV/800 combo I wound up setting +4 for that combo alone and +6 for when I added the 1.4X II TC. My already sharp images got just a bit sharper!

The Mark IV User's Guide PDF sells for $25 if you send a check or a PayPal or call with a credit card in hand. If you order through the through the BAA On-line store, a $2.00 discount will apply. To order your copy now and save $2.00, click here: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=286. You will receive your PDF via e-mail so be sure to check your spam folder and security settings if you do not receive yours in a timely fashion. Do get in touch if you do not get the e-mail in a day or two (except when ordering from late Friday through Sunday <smile>)

lark Bunting, female, Cozad Ranch, Linn, TX

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the 1.4 X II TC and a 25mm Extension tube and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/8.

It is exciting when an uncommonly seen migrant species comes to the pond to drink. Has I not seen a male of this species in a mesquite tree just minutes before the three females arrived I would have been stumped on the ID..... To create the image above from the image below the beautiful red dirt was cleaned up using the Patch Tool, the Clone Stamp Tool at reduced Opacity, the Spot Healing Brush, and several Quick Masks. As described in Digital Basics (https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=32) I use a variety of customized keyboard shortcuts to switch quickly from tool to tool when doing such clean-ups. See my additional comments below. As the days went by we got the edges of the pond cleaner and cleaner....

I fully understand that some folks might have a problem with such extensive clean-up efforts and I am fine with that :). Do note that the natural history of the moment has not been altered: a bird standing on red soil is deciding whether or not to take a sip from a pond. Also, do note that the pond is totally manmade.... I am working with three of the best ranchers on having the soil used to create the ponds sifted to remove pebbles and other debris and on having the pond margins cleaned before the photographers arrived. The Photoshop clean-up took about 40 minutes.

POSSE NEWS/ROBERT O'TOOLE

BALD EAGLE SUMMER WORKSHOP: June 18-22, 2010 (slide program on the evening of June 17.) 5-FULL DAYS: $2749. LIMIT: 10. Two in-the-field photography sessions per day (weather permitting of course) in all natural areas away from civilization and only accessible by charter boat. $800 deposit required, full payment due by May 18th.

The workshop location is like a dream: cooperative eagles in natural settings away from civilization in soft warm summer light. You will not believe the opportunities that will present themselves on this workshop. We will photograph eagles in flight, perched on natural driftwood, in small spruce trees, and on rocky shores and beaches. Eagles of all ages will be engaged in a variety of behaviors including displaying, fishing, flying, and feeding. Please contact Robert at robert@robertotoolephotography.com to register or for more information. See the images from Robert's Homer trip last February on his new website (right now in a beta form): http://www.robertotoole.com/galleries/latest-images/

POSSE NEWS/ROBERT O'TOOLE/JUNE HOMER BALD EAGLES

IPT DATE UPDATES