BIRDS AS ART BULLETIN #343
October 25, 2010
Arthur
Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245 4041 Granada Drive, Indian Lake Estates,
FL 33855. Telephone: 863-692-0906. Computer fax: 877- 265-6955
Visit: www.BIRDSASART.com
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FEATURES:
CANON EOS-1D MARK IV USER’S GUIDE
UPDATED
WYOMING BLURS
AN IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW OF YOURS
TRULY
CANON USED 70-200M F/2.8 L IS FOR
SALE
POSSE NEWS: PETER KES
THANKSGIVING AT BOSQUE
A GUIDE TO PLEASING BLURS
POSSE NEWS/ROBERT O’TOOLE
SHOPPER’S GUIDE
IPT UPDATES
PLEASE: If you are
responding to a Bulletin via e-mail please take the time to delete all
irrelevant text and images. Thanks.
Brown Bear, Katmai
National Park, AK
Image copyright 2010:
Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800.
Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/320 sec. at f/5.6.
Learn the fastest and easiest way to change
your White Balance and color temperature settings in the update Mark IV User’s
Guide PDF. Doing so will save you time during image optimization. Aside from the major changes noted below I
have added a bunch of new little things that I have come up with since the
original publication that have made my life a lot simpler.
CANON EOS-1D MARK IV USER’S
GUIDE PDF UPDATED
After
several days of adding new material, re-writing old stuff, and adding all new
images, we will be sending the free updates to all purchasers on our list no
later than Thursday, October 28, 2010.
See more below.
After
garnering some new information on making micro-adjustments I revised the methodology
and completely re-wrote the section on how to ensure that your big expensive
lenses will produce the sharpest possible images. The other new addition was a section on
setting up and using My Menu Settings. I
just began using My Menu a few months ago and now I can say that I enjoy the
conveniences of this great feature every time that I use my cameras. The last major change was the addition of all
new images. Each image illustrates the
reason for this Custom Function setting or that Menu item setting.
The 7D
User’s Guide PDF will be updated in similar fashion very soon.
If you
have already purchased your copy, you should receive your free update no later
than Friday, October 20. Please, please
pretty please do not e-mail us until Friday unless you have changed your e-mail
address since you ordered. If you send us an e-mail before Friday stating that you did
not receive your update we will delete it.
To
order your copy of the Mark IV User’s Guide PDF for $25 you can call Jim at
863-692-0906 with credit card in hand, send a check for $25 made out to “Arthur
Morris” to BIRD AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, or send a PayPal
for $25 to us at birdsasart@att.net.
Or, you
can save $2 by ordering your copy from the BAA On-line store here.
LeHardy Rapids Blur,
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Image copyright 2010:
Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS lens (tripod-mounted at 175mm) with
the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 50. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/4 sec. at f/29.
The Mark IV User’s
Guide will teach why I needed to turn off Highlight Tone Priority in order to
create the pleasing blur above.
I created this (cropped) Black and White
version from the original above using NIK’s great Silver EFEX Pro plug-in. See immediately below for discount info on
all NIK products.
To receive a 15%
discount on your order for Silver EFEX or on any NIK products including the
Complete Collection click here and then
enter BAA in the Coupon Code box as shown as above.
WYOMING BLURS
Juiced
by the publication of “A Guide to Pleasing Blurs” and the ensuing rave reviews,
Denise (denise) Ippolito and I went sort of blur-crazy on our recently
concluded Wyoming trip. I have opted to share some of our favorites with you in
this Bulletin.
Fall Color Blur,
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Image copyright 2010:
Denise Ippolito
This combo wind blur/jiggle blur was created with the
hand held Canon 100-400mm lens and the EOS-1D Mark III. You can learn to create both wind blurs and
jiggle blurs in “A
Guide to Pleasing Blurs.
AN IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW OF YOURS
TRULY
To
learn more about who I am, check out yesterday’s blog post here.
The
post includes a somewhat revelatory introduction that I wrote, excerpts from
denise’s “story” and from the most in-depth-ever interview I have ever done,
and most importantly, a link to the complete interview.
Fall Color Blur,
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Image copyright 2010:
Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS lens (hand held at 70mm) with the
EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 50. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/5 sec. at f/9
set manually.
This image was
created using the vertical pan blur technique that is described in detail in “A
Guide to Pleasing Blurs
CANON USED 70-200M F/2.8 L IS FOR
SALE
Alex is
offering a used Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS in excellent condition for sale
with the tripod collar, case, lens hood, original instructions, box, and strap)
for $1650. This price includes FedEx 3rd
biz day shipping to continental US addresses.
Cashier’s check accepted or pay +2% via PayPal, Visa, MasterCard or
American Express.
Contact
: "Alex" Alexander by e-mail to alex@PupsAcrossAmerica.com or by phone at 239-671-0740.
Elk Youngster
Frolicking Blur, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Image copyright 2010:
Denise Ippolito
Tripod-mounted Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens with EOS-1D Mark
III.
Denise captured this
image employing the basic pan blur techniques covered in “A
Guide to Pleasing Blurs.”
POSSE NEWS: PETER KES
Black Rhino Photographic Workshop: 7-14 January, 2011. 7 full
days, $3990. Limit 7, Openings: 1.
Due to medical complications, one of the participants on our Black Rhino
Photographic workshop needed to cancel. Join Peter Kes on a photographic tour of
the Black Rhino Game Reserve in the Pilanesberg, 200km north of Johannesburg,
South Africa. Black Rhino is a privately owned game reserve that is located in
a malaria free area and offers all of Africa’s big game species as well as a great
number of birds.
The objective of this tour is to
photograph in the African bush with ‘birds of a feather.’ Upon arrival in Johannesburg on 7 January you
will be transported to Pilanesberg. The lodge is situated on 10,000 square
meter property and offers all the modern luxuries. On the last day (14 January) we will visit the
Cheetah Breeding Farm de Wildts and pay a visit to the Montecasino Bird Gardens.
The workshop fee includes all costs in South Africa including food &
beverages. Any airline costs will be the
responsibility of the participants.
White Rhino with
oxpecker aboard, Pilanesberg, South Africa
Image copyright 2010:
Peter Kes
BOSQUE THANKSGIVING
For the
past ten years or so, I have hosted a Thanksgiving Day midday 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, now defunct. Then it was at
the lovely and historic Luna Mansion. Luna
Mansion closed a few years ago and recently re-opened but will not be serving
on Thanksgiving this year. Last year 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.
For
2010 we are going a bit upscale and will be dining in the New Mexico Ballroom at
the Hilton Albuquerque hotel: 1901 University Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102. Telephone: 1- 505-884-2500. The Hilton is just a bit more than an hour
from Socorro. I have group reservations
for 11:45am on Thanksgiving Day of course.
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 $40.00 per person made out to “Arthur Morris” to cover
the cost of the buffet that will include the traditional items as well as tax
and tip. Drinks are on you. Please mark “Thanksgiving Brunch” on your
check and mail it to; BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 4041, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855.
Sorry, no PayPals or credit cards. I do hope that you can join us.
Fall Foliage Zoom
Blur, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Image copyright 2010:
Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon 70-200mm f2.8L IS lens with the 1.4X II TC (hand
held at 260mm) and the EOS-1D Mark IV.
ISO 50. Evaluative metering +1 stop:
1/5 sec. at f/20 in Tv Mode.
Zoom Blur techniques
are covered in detail in “A
Guide to Pleasing Blurs.”
A GUIDE TO PLEASING BLURS
"A
Guide to Pleasing Blurs" by Arthur Morris and Denise Ippolito is a 20,585
word, 271 page PDF illustrated with 144 different, exciting, and artistic
images. The guide covers the basics of creating pleasingly blurred
images, the factors that influence the degree of blurring, the use of filters
in creating pleasing blurs, and a great variety of both in-the-field and
Photoshop techniques that can be used to create pleasingly blurred images.
Artie
and Denise teach you many different ways to move your lens during the exposure
to create a variety of pleasingly blurred images of flowers and trees and water
and landscapes. They will teach you to recognize situations where subject
movement can be used to your advantage to create pan blurs, wind blurs, and
moving water blurs. They will teach you to create zoom-blurs both in the
field and during post-processing. Artie shares the techniques that he has
used and developed for making blurred images of flocks of geese in flight at
his beloved Bosque del Apache and denise shares her flower blur magic as well
as a variety of creative Photoshop techniques that she has developed.
With
the advent of digital capture, creating blurred images has become a great and
inexpensive way to go out with your camera and have fun. And while many
folks think that making successful blurred images is the result of being a
sloppy photographer nothing could be further from the truth. In "A
Guide to Pleasing Blurs" Artie and Denise will help you to unleash your
creative self.
The
book is laid out in landscape format to make for easy viewing and easy reading
on any decent computer monitor.
You can
order your copy of "The Guide to Pleasing Blurs" PDF now for only $33
either by PayPal to birdsasart@verizon.net or by phone: 863-692-0906. A
download link will be delivered to you via e-mail within 12 hours or less
(except on weekends). Please note: this book is available only as a
digital file in PDF form. You will need either Adobe Acrobat Reader or Fox-it
to read the file. Both are free downloads. Instructions will be
included with your purchase.
Fall Color Blur, Grand
Teton National Park, Wyoming
Image copyright 2010:
Denise Ippolito
Here Denise chose to
include the road as a leading line. I believe that she used the 100-400 again
with the jiggle blur technique to create a rather Rembrandt look.
SHOPPER’S GUIDE
Here is
the gear that I mentioned in this bulletin:
Canon
70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens
Canon
EF Teleconverter 1.4X II
Canon
EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body
And
from the BAA On-line Store:
Wimberley V-2
Tripod Head (denise’s choice)
If you
are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new
camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check
out our complete Shopper’s
Guide.
Tree Blur, Grand
Teton National Park, Wyoming
Image copyright 2010:
Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon 70-200mm f2.8L IS lens (hand held at 90mm) with the
EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 50. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/8 sec. at
f/4 in Tv Mode.
I created this one
when we stopped to check out a waterfall that turned out to be a dud. See the original below.
This is the original of the image above. Note that I exposed with the histogram far to
the right (and the sky over-exposed) to ensure maximum detail in the dark areas
and to a high quality file. I used a
series of Quick Masks to create a more uniform foreground. Learn to expose to the right in ABP II (916
pages on CD only) and learn to optimize your images the way I do quickly and
easily in Digital Basics
(a PDF sent via e-mail).
IPT UPDATES
BOSQUE del APACHE 2010 IPT:
“The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 20-26, 2010. Slide program on the
evening of Friday, NOV 19. 7-FULL DAYS: $3199.
(Non-refundable deposit: $500; see details below.) Limit: 10/Openings: 3. Co-leaders: Robert
O’Toole, Jim Heupel, and Denise Ippolito. 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. Plus great co-leaders
and top-notch Photoshop instruction. Please see terms and deposit info below.
A BLURRY DAY in BOSQUE del
APACHE 2010 IPT: NOV 27, 2010. Slide program on the evening of
Friday, NOV 26. 1-FULL DAY: $399. (Payment in full due upon
registration.) Limit: 15/Openings: 10. Leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur
Morris. Learn to create a variety of pleasingly blurred images of Bosque’s
geese and cranes. Techniques covered
will include pan blurs, subject motion blurs, flash blurs, zoom blurs, sunny
day blurs, and lots more.
SAN DIEGO IPT: JAN 19-23, 2011.
Slide program on the evening of JAN 18. 5 Full Days: $2399 (Limit
8/Openings 3).
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. Please see terms and deposit info below.
SW FLA IPT: FEB 9-14,
2011. Slide program on the evening of FEB 8. 6 Full Days: 2899.
(Limit 10/Openings 5). 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. Please see terms and deposit
info immediately below.
Terms
and deposit info:
A
non-refundable deposit of $500 is required to hold a spot on 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 is Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that
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. Do note that many plans require that you
purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check
or running your credit card. Travel insurance protects you against unexpected
developments, injuries, or illnesses. We regret that we must implement
this new 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
forms asap. Your registration will not be complete until we receive your
paper work. You can find the forms here.
ROBERT O’TOOLE PHOTOGRAPHY
HOMER BALD EAGLE INSTRUCTIONAL PHOTO-TOUR WITH ARTHUR MORRIS/BIRDS AS ART.
March 18-22, 2011: Limit 12
including the leaders/Sold Out. 5-FULL DAYS: $3249
March 24-28, 2011: Limit 12
including the leaders/Sold Out. 5-FULL DAYS: $3249
Homer
the way it used to be. 100% legal eagle feeding. Both of these trips sold out
within hours after being announced to the BAA Friends List. The Friends List
consists of IPT veterans who fit in the happy camper category. If you have been
on an IPT and would like your name added to the BAA Friends List, please e-mail
me at birdsasart@att.net and include a short note. Non-refundable deposit:
$1,000. See terms above. Please call to check on availability before sending
your deposit check.
March 12-16, 2011 (slide
program the evening of March 11) 5-FULL DAYS: $2799. ABSOLUTE LIMIT: 5/Sold
Out.
The
trip above was added by popular demand; only Robert will be leading it.
GALAPAGOS 2011 PHOTO-CRUISE OF
A LIFETIME IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience: July 3-20, 2011
(July 5-19, 2011 on the boat): 13 1/2 days of photography plus a last morning
panga ride: $12, 499.
(Limit
11/Openings 1)
This
two-week trip features an unparalleled photographic itinerary that will visit
all the great spots in the islands; we will not miss a thing. The highlights
include Tower Island—tons of nesting birds at knee and eye level, Punta
Espinoza (Flightless Cormorants), Puerto Ayora (tortoises in their natural
habitats), Hood Island (Waved Albatross and lots more nesting birds), South
Plaza, and North Seymour. Each of these locations is on a par with Antarctica
or East Africa when it comes to spectacular photographic opportunities. If you
make only a one week cruise you will miss half of these great locations. With
two full weeks we will enjoy a relaxed pace with shorter navigations and lots
of time for snorkeling, image sharing, and small group Photoshop instruction.
You will have a great photographic leader (that would be me) with 7 years of
Galapagos experience teamed with the very best most knowledgeable guide in the
entire archipelago. We will be the first boat on each island in the morning and
the last boat to leave each island every afternoon. If we are blessed with
overcast weather, we often spend as much as six hours on a landing. Jeez, I
almost forgot our spectacular and romantic motor sailing ship, the Beagle:
www.thebeagle.com.ec
The
group will be flying to Quito on their own to arrive on July 3, 2011. We have a
travel insurance day on July 4th (with an optional trip for perched
hummingbirds at Tandayapa). On the morning of July 5 we fly to the Galapagos
and board the boat around midday. We leave the boat two weeks later on morning
of July 19 after our last photo session, a short panga ride. We fly back to
Quito on that same day, July 19, overnight in Quito, and fly home on the
morning of July 20.
Note:
some of the walks are strenuous. Though I will be bringing my 800 f/5.6L IS
lens along, great images are possible on all landings with a hand held 70-200mm
lens.
Please
e-mail me at for a complete 2010 itinerary. Happy campers only please.
Included:
three nights in the luxury hotel–the Hilton Quito Colon, round trip airfare to
and from the Galapagos, all meals on the boat, a killer buffet lunch with the
tortoises!, all park fees and related costs, and all transfers. Not included.
Your round trip airfare from your home to and from Quito, beverages, phone
calls, and the $500/person tip for the guide and the crew. A $5,000
non-refundable deposit per person is due immediately. Please call me at
863-692-0906 or 863-221-2372 before sending your deposit to check availability.
Please
print, sign, and return these two forms along with your deposit check.
Two
additional non-refundable payments will be due as follows: $4000 on NOV 1,
2010. The final payment of $3,499 will be due on FEB 1, 2011. Travel insurance
is of course beyond highly recommended as none of your payments are refundable.
You need to protect yourself in case of an unexpected illness or accident or
other unforeseen developments.
MIDWAY ATOLL IPT, April 2012,
(from Oahu, HI). 7-FULL DAYS OF PHOTOGRAPHY. (Sold Out.)
Fall Color Line of
Trees Blur, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Image copyright 2010:
Denise Ippolito
Here Denise used a
slow vertical pan blur.
Best and great picture-making,
artie
Note: Arthur
Morris has been a paid Canon contract photographer, part of the Explorers of
Light program, since 1996 and continues in that role today. Hunt's Photo
of Boston, MA is a BAA sponsor as is Delkin Devices. Back issues of all
BAA Bulletins can be found in the Bulletin Archives that may be accessed here:
http://www.birdsasart.com/bn.html