BIRDS AS ART BULLETIN #466

• Bosque del Apache 2014/15 Intermittent Tour Loop Road Schedule
• The Ross’s Goose in Flight Image
• A Tale of Two RAW Conversions
• Affordable Bosque Festival of the Cranes Educational Opportunities
• Happy New Year
• Important BAA 2nd International Bird Photography Competition Prize Information
• Fort DeSoto October Events
• The Art of Flower Photography
• IPT Updates
• Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Bosque del Apache 2014/15 Intermittent Tour Loop Road Schedule

Bosque del Apache 2014/15 Intermittent Tour Loop Road Schedule

I donated a Ross’s Goose image to the good folks at Bosque del Apache NWR for this poster that announces this season’s Intermittent Tour Loop Road schedule. If you are lucky enough to visit when it is open, be sure to obey all signs and regulations. See more about the creation of this image below.

This image was created with the hand held Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (with the internal TC in place at 513mm) and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops as framed in cloudy very bright conditions: 1/5000 sec. at f/5.6 in Av mode. Central Sensor/AI Servo-Surround/Rear Focus on the bird’s face was active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image see a larger version.

The Ross’s Goose in Flight Image

Coincidentally, this Ross’s Goose image was created last year on the Intermittent Tour Loop Road. When the wind is right, you can go to shorter focal length lenses that can easily be hand held by most folks. See below for information on the RAW conversion of this image.

A Tale of Two RAW Conversions

The image with the strong YELLOW color cast and the heavy vignetting was optimized last year in Adobe Camera Raw. When Aaron Mize, Deputy Refuge Manager, Bosque del Apache NWR e-mailed a few weeks ago asking if the refuge could use my Ross’s Goose flight image as above, I realized that I had done a lousy job of converting and optimizing it. I started from scratch by converting the image in DPP 4.0. The improvement was spectacular.

Now I could tell you that the differences were entirely due to DPP 4.0 but that would be an untrue sales pitch and I would not do that to you. As I said above, I flat out did a poor job the first time around. That said, with the DPP 4.0 conversion eliminating the vignetting on the Image lens correction tab was a snap, as was adjusting the White Balance. In addition, I am sure that the image converted in ACR been properly lightened it would have exhibited a lot more noise in the black wingtips than the DPP 4.0-converted image.

The DPP RAW Conversion Guide

To learn why I use Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) to convert every image that I work on, click here. Coming very soon: The DPP 4.0 RAW Conversion Guide by Arash Hazeghi and Arthur Morris. I finished my first edit of Arash’s manuscript On Sunday and got Arash’s feedback late last night. I will be working on the 4th draft today. The more that I use DPP 4.0 for my RAW conversions the more I learn about it and the more I learn about it the more I am impressed with it. Note: at present, DPP 4.0 will work only with 1D X, 5D III, and 6D images.

Get your butt on a plane and take advantage of some downright cheap instruction! Please click on the card to enjoy a larger version.

Affordable Bosque Educational Opportunities

I will be at Bosque this year for nearly three full weeks. There are a host of affordable educational opportunities on the slate in conjunction with the Festival of the Cranes. There are four early morning in-the-field photography workshops, Thursday through Sunday, NOV 20-23, 2014. Thursday is sold out, there is some room on the Friday and Sunday sessions, and, at last count, lots of room on the Saturday workshop. Denise and I are co-leading.

We are offering a two part afternoon seminar on Thursday afternoon, NOV 20 from 2-4:30pm as follows:

Part I: Bosque del Apache Photography Basics

Artie and Denise will cover the basics of lens selection, tripod and head selection, image design, getting the right exposure, autofocus options, and the relationship between light direction and wind direction, and will give an overview of the best photographic opportunities at the refuge.

Part II: Creative Photography at Bosque del Apache

Artie and Denise will teach you to think outside the box when photographing at Bosque del Apache. You will learn to create a variety of pleasingly blurred images by using slow shutter speeds, by photographing moving subjects, by zooming during the exposure, and by panning with the lens during the exposure. They will teach you to take advantage of spectacular lighting and weather conditions. They will also cover post processing creative techniques. Limit 50.

On Friday afternoon from 1:00 to 3:00pm I will be presenting a free slide program entitled “A 20-Year Love Affair With Bosque.”

Click here to register for any of the open events above.

While the 4-DAY Bosque IPT has been sold out for some time, there is still room on the 2-DAY Bosque Creative IPT (artie and denise). Do understand that though we will cover a variety of creative techniques and photograph a variety of subjects, when conditions are perfect for traditional bird photography that is exactly what we will be doing. Scroll down here for details on the Creative IPT.

Have a great 5775!

Happy New Year

Here is wishing all of our Jewish friends and families l’shana tova with best wishes for a great 5775!

Important BAA 2nd International Bird Photography Competition Prize Information

We are in the process of getting the prizes to the winning photographers. About a month ago we sent an e-mail to each winner asking that they confirm their snail mail addresses. Nearly all complied. In addition, we asked overseas winners if they could please provide a US address. Most but not all were able to do so. If we do not hear from the foreign winners who have not supplied us with a US address, we will send their prizes to their home addresses. In the past, we have found that many overseas postal services are not reliable. Last year many prizes that were mailed to a foreign country were lost. We agreed to replace them at our expense. Once. Some were lost twice.

This year all prizes–to both foreign and US addresses–will be sent only once. To the address that you provided. Anyone wishing to pay for a signature-required type of mailing or shipping at their expense is invited to contact Jim via e-mail with a copy to me here for details. The same goes for folks who want to confirm their ship-to addresses or provide us with a new address.

Thanks again to our fabulously generous sponsors. And special thanks to Denise Ippolito who first came up with the idea of creating a major BAA Photography competition. Without her suggestion and input the contest surely would not exist. And let’s not forget that without the technical expertise of Peter Kes the contest would not exist. It’s great to have great friends.

Click here to see the 25 winning images.

Fort DeSoto in fall is rich with tame birds. All of the images in this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or early October. I hope that you can join me there this October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

First-ever BIRDS AS ART In-the-Field/Meetup Workshop Session (ITF/MWS): $50

Join me on the afternoon of October 10, 2014 for 3-hours of photographic instruction at Fort DeSoto Park. Beginners are welcome. Lenses of 300mm or longer are recommended but even those with 70-200s should get to make some nice images. Teleconverters are always a plus.

You will learn the basics of digital exposure and image design, autofocus basics, and how to get close to free and wild birds. We should get to photograph a variety of wading birds, shorebirds, terns, and gulls. This inexpensive afternoon workshop is designed to give folks a taste of the level and the quality of instruction that is provided on BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-tours. I hope to meet you there.

To register please call Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours with a credit card in hand to pay the nominal registration fee. Your registration fee is non-refundable. You will receive a short e-mail with instructions, gear advice, and meeting place at least two weeks before the event.

Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Fort DeSoto Fall IPT/October 11-13, 2014. 3 FULL DAYs: $1099. Limit 8/Openings 5.

Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, gulls, and terns who winter on the T-shaped peninsula that serves as their wintering grounds. With any luck, we should get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher likely. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Tricolored Heron are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. And Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork would not be unexpected.

Folks who sign up for the IPT are welcome to join us on the ITF/MWS on Friday afternoon as my guest. See above for details on that.

On the IPT you will learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, to, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. And you will learn learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).

At lunch (included) we will review my images–folks learn a ton watching me edit–why keep this one and delete that one. If you opt to bring your laptop, we will take a look at five of your best images from the morning session. We will process a few of my images in Photoshop after converting them in DPP. That followed by Instructor Nap Time.

If you decide to register and are traveling to attend this IPT, please make your reservations at the Beachcomber Beach Resort, 6200 Gulf Blvd, St. Petersburg (St. Pete Beach), FL 33706 (727-367-1902) as soon as possible as rooms for the weekend days are scarce: ARR: 10 OCT/DEP 14 OCT. I stayed there on my last DeSoto visit and was quite happy with it. Lodging is tough in Florida at this season…. The best airport is Tampa (TPA). It is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel so if you are interested it would be a good idea to register now and make your hotel reservations as well. We can, however, coordinate easily with local folks who opt to stay at home either by cell phone or e-mail.

Because of the relatively late date, payment is full is due upon registration either by check or credit card. If the former, please e-mail us immediately so that we can save you a spot. If the latter, please call Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand to register . Your registration fee is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with eight so please check your plans carefully before committing. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, gear advice, and first morning meeting place about one month before this IPT.

BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT.

Fort DeSoto Site Guide

Can’t make the IPT? Get yourself a copy of the Fort DeSoto Site Guide. Learn the best spots, where to be when in what season in what weather. Learn the best wind directions for the various locations. BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. You can see all of them here.

The Art of Flower Photography, a 203 page eBook/a link to the PDF will be sent via e-mail: $29.00.

The Art of Flower Photography

Click here if you missed the recent eBook announcement.

Ken Kovak: I have been working my way through the “Art of Flower Photography” and it is both a feast for the eyes and quite informative.

Art Buesing: Artie and Denise have outdone themselves with “The Art of Flower Photography.” Gorgeous photos with careful explanations of the production techniques for camera and computer. A valuable addition to my photography library!

IPT Updates

The 2015 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT

There are now just 2 slots left on the 2015 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT; if you are seriously interested in joining us on this truly wonderful trip it would be best not to tarry…. Scroll down here for complete details.

2015 Palouse IPT #2

The first 2015 Palouse IPT is sold out with a long waiting list. There are now just 3 slots left on the Palouse IPT #2. Scroll down here for complete details.

2015 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT): FEB 1 thru the morning of FEB 5, 2015: $1799 (Limit: 8/Openings: 4)

Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red bill pouches; Brandt’s and Double-crested Cormorants in breeding plumage with their amazing crests; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Duck; other species possible inluding Lesser Scaup, Redhead, and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heerman’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semiplamated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seals (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lions likely; and Bird of Paradise flowers.

Click here for complete IPT schedule and info.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog or via a BAA Online Bulletin is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charges a minimum of 20% plus assorted fees! Yikes. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly–I offer free pricing advice, usually sells in no time flat. In the past few months, we have sold just about everything in sight. You can see the additional listings here. Our history of selling fairly priced big lenses is unmatched.

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