BIRDS AS ART
GOES BACK TO FILM!
CANON 90MM
TILT-SHIFT LENS FOR SALE
SARASOTA, FL:
NATURE AND DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY HOTBED
BAA SEMINAR
KUDOS
THANKS TO HAL
DUPONT
BIRDS AS ART GOES BACK TO FILM!
On April 1,
2003 I decided--for a variety of reasons--to give up on my digital
experiment and go back to using film at least until August 7, 2023,
as was my original plan. I shall be selling my EOS 1D and EOS 1Ds
cameras as well as all of my Delkin e-film Pro 640 mb Compact flash
cards and my killer Toshiba Satellite laptop. No reasonable offers
will be rejected.
HAPPY APRIL
FOOL'S DAY
When I noticed
today's date, I could not resist a quick April Fool's day prank.
The item above item is totally fictitious.
I love digital more than ever, and am having more fun than ever. Ten
days ago, I added the Epson Power Lite 720c digital projector to my
arsenal and am thrilled with it's performance. There
are no digital cameras for sale here at BIRDS AS ART;
please accept my apologies if you were taken in... Next year,
beware!
Great Egret in flight, Sarasota, FL
Canon EOS 1D, 500mm f/4L IS lens, 1.4X II TC, Wimberley Head.
550 Speedlight fill-flash at -2/3 with Better Beamer. ISO 250.
+2 1/3 stops off the white sky reading: 1/500 sec. at f/9 (set
manually).
Image copyright 2003 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
I still love digital photography, especially digital
flash-flight!
CANON 90mm TILT-SHIFT LENS FOR SALE
Lesley Collins at the Packinghouse Gallery in Largo (
http://www.packinghousegallery.com)
has a Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8 tilt-shift lens complete with hard
case LH - D14 and lens hood ES-65II for sale. Like n
ew:
$995.
This is a great lens for doing large fields of flowers or huge
flocks of birds on the ground. It also makes a great macro lens
and its versatility is expanded many-fold with the addition of
either the 1.4X or 2X II TCs.
SARASOTA,
FL: NATURE AND DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY HOTBED
From Norm Easy, who planted the
Venice Rookery, and John Bass:
SWANPA is an
informal group of wildlife and nature photographers in the
Bradenton, Sarasota, and Venice area. We meet monthly to show
slides of our recent work. We also sometimes also host self-guided
photo excursions to Florida locations. If you would like to join us,
simply send your name and e-mail address to Norm Easey at njeasey@aol.com.
I will add you to the email list for meeting reminders or SWANPA
activity updates.
Name: Sarasota Wildlife & Nature Photographers Association (SWANPA)
Meeting date/time: 7:30 p.m. 3rd Tuesday of the month
(September - May)
Meeting Location: Twin Lakes Park, Clark Rd., Sarasota
Directions: I-75 to Clark Rd., east to park entrance (1/4
mile), building is on right
Cost: None, just come and meet some nice people with a
common interest
Meetings: Bring, show, and discuss up to 30 wildlife &
nature slides
From Mike McNaughton and John Bass:
Dimage has a membership of about 120 folks; all
levels of photographers and other artists are represented. The
club's roots are in the Suncoast Camera Club of Bradenton,
Florida. About seven years ago eight members of the Suncoast Camera
Club began meeting in their homes after deciding to move beyond film
and darkroom. They pursued traditional photography, scanned slides
and negatives, and used Adobe's Photoshop to restore and enhance
images. That was the beginning of Dimage. Now, using digital
cameras, the trend is toward digital photography teamed with
Photoshop.
Dimage welcomes new members, and visitors are encouraged to attend
meetings. However, only members may be active in the group’s
activities which include giving presentations, sharing project
assignments, and participating in raffles. Membership dues are $20
per year. Meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of the month from
6:30 to 9:00 pm at the
Sudakoff Center
on New College Campus in Sarasota, Florida. The group leader is
Mike McNaughton:
mikemcn@worldnet.att.net To learn more about Dimage visit:
http://www.dimage.org/pages/frameset.html
Dimage is sponsoring a Kodak
Photoshop Workshop on Saturday, April 12, 2003 at the Manatee
Civic Center in
Palmetto, Florida. For additional details visit:
http://www.dimage.org/pages/frameset.html
Black-crowned Night-Heron,
Sarasota, FL
Canon EOS 1D, 500mm f/4L IS lens, Wimberley Head.
550 Speedlight fill-flash at -2/3 with Better Beamer. ISO 250.
+2 stops off the white sky reading: 1/500 sec. at f/4 (set
manually).
Image copyright 2003 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
I almost always chose the 1D (over the 1Ds) for flash flight
photography because of its faster synch speed (of 1/500 sec.)
BAA SEMINAR & ITF-Workshop
KUDOS
Hey Artie,
I really had a great time on in Sarasota. The
seminar was fun and informative and the photography at DeSoto was
fantastic. I learned so much this time around. From your vast
knowledge of species, exposure, composition, and careful
approach--all of which you share freely with your groups, to your
digital techniques and knowledge, the amount of info presented in a
short time is staggering. And with me using digital, the instant
feedback and your instantaneous critiques and advice
were invaluable.
Thanks for all the computer info as well. In
addition to coming away with a great amount of information, I had an
awesome time in the field. I'm sure from a business standpoint that
having only a few folks in the group was not very profitable, but
the extra time that you spent with each of us was simply
wonderful.
You say that your tours are not photo vacations, but
rarely am I as relaxed as I am when I'm traveling with you. You
create a fun-filled and relaxed learning environment in spite of the
hard work of stalking, the long hours, the carting around of the big
lenses, the crawling in cold water and mud, and the highs and lows
of capturing or missing out on the various opportunities. I look
forward to the next opportunity that I'll have to photograph with
you.
Thanks again for a fantastic time.
Mike Petulla
Western Sandpiper molting >
breeding plumage, Fort DeSoto, FL
Canon EOS 1D, 500mm f/4L IS lens, 2X II TC, Ground Pod.
ISO 250.
Evaluative metering at zero: 1/160 sec. at f/11.
Image copyright 2003 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Mike Petulla and I had great fun crawling around in the muck with
the shorebirds and Breeding plumage laughing Gulls. A Hama Double
Bubble ensures square to the world images...
Dear Art,
I want to thank you personally for an
extremely entertaining, enlightening, & enjoyable weekend of
photography and instruction. Without attempting to swell you head,
let me compliment you for your excellent presentation, and your
amicable style. You are one of he reasons that Noah Webster
inserted the word "professional" in his dictionary! I say this very
seriously. I look forward to the next time I can attend one of your
seminars. From one ex New Yorker to another, thanks!
Robert Herold
.....
Dear Artie,
I want to thank you for the fabulous weekend
seminar at the Mote Marine Lab. It was incredibly informative,
enlightening, and inspiring. I came away more convinced that
bird photography is definitely the major area I'd like to spend
my time. I was also blown away by your images. Not only the by
the clarity and definition, but by the diversity of birds and
the different locales that you went to shoot them.
I also must say that I was quite impressed with
your presentation of the Canon gear. I am now a Nikon shooter
with an average investment in equipment at this time, but I have
to tell you that the variety of IS lenses available from Canon
is very impressive and almost compelling enough to make the
switch., especially if I go digital. I'll be evaluating that
decision over the next 6 months as the economics of change are
not favorable right now.
I am fully convinced that with either system I
definitely need a zoom lens in the 100-400m range with IS/VR and
a 500mm/f4 to do the type of bird photography I enjoy. I want to
thank you for saving me a few thousand future dollars by stating
that the one long lens to own is the 500, not the 600.
I also enjoyed the field lesson that dealt
with teleconverters and extension tubes. I have a much better
understanding of their value and I ordered two 25mm extension
tubes today. The flash segment of the seminar was also very
enlightening. With your explanation of evaluative metering and
the two flash techniques, I know that I will be able to
make better images, especially in those instances that
require flash-as-main-light or fill-flash.
In closing, thanks a bunch for sharing your
acquired wisdom. I hope our paths cross again, and hope that I
will be able to attend one or more of your IPT's in the future.
Bob Gold
A while back, friend and IPT veteran Hal DuPont invited me to Vero
Beach to do a program last Saturday for his photo group. More
than 70 folks attended and a great time was had by all, especially
the instructor!. Hal was an unbelievably generous host. He threw
a cocktail party in my honor on Friday night, and saw to it that
everything on Saturday ran smooth as a well-oiled clock. Then, he
ends the festivities by handing me a brand new Canon EOS 10D "to
try out for a few weeks." I shall report my findings here in
about one month. Thanks Hal!
IPT & I-T-F-Workshop
UPDATES
IPTs.
Do note that BIRDS AS ART/Instructional
Photo-Tours are not photo vacations. If you are looking for a
relaxed, informal trip with luxurious breakfasts, then my IPTs are
not for you. If you want to get up early, really early at times,
work hard all day (but for the midday break and Instructor Nap
Time), enjoy lunch and dinner with the leader and the group (all
the while asking photo-related questions and looking at images),
stay out till dark, and then enjoy an on-topic, educational slide
program until 9:30 or so, then do consider joining us.
ST.
AUGUSTINE ALLIGATOR FARM (FL)
MAY 24-26,
2003.
3-DAY IPT: $829 (Limit: 10, openings: 4)
Register
NESTING GREAT,
CATTLE, & SNOWY EGRETS (AND LITTLE BLUE HERONS) AT CLOSE RANGE AND
AT OR BELOW EYE-LEVEL! LEARN TO USE YOUR FLASH AS FILL AND AS
MAIN LIGHT AND LEARN HOW TO AVOID CLUTTER IN YOUR COMPOSITIONS.
MANY BIRDS WILL BE IN SPECTACULAR BREEDING PLUMAGE. DO NOTE THAT
SIX OF THE NANPA SCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS WILL BE JOINING THIS IPT AS
MY GUESTS.
Amazingly, the
NOV 29-DEC 1, 2003
Bosque Del Apache NWR, NM IPTs
already have seven of
the fourteen slots filled. The NOV 23-25 IPT is still wide
open. Take a $100 discount, sign up for both, and celebrate
Thanksgiving in Socorro with us. Tens of thousands of
geese and ten thousand Sandhill Cranes. Low mountain scenery.
Spectacular light. And, if you are the least bit lucky, sunrises
and sunsets that will bring tears to you eyes. Bosque is the
premier teaching laboratory for those wishing to develop their
creative vision. (At present, I have scheduled only two, rather
than the traditional three Bosque IPTs.)
The first ever
Upper Peninsula of Michigan Fall
Color/Macro/Waterfalls IPT will be co-led by
David Vore of
Flint, MI who knows all the killer spots. 5-day,
10/3/03 to 10/7/03: $1299. Limit 12,
openings, 10. Peak color averages to October 4th... Do be aware
that there are no guarantees as to the date of peak color... The
introductory slide program will be at 7:30pm on the night of
October 2. Last year, the color was two weeks late, but in spite
of that, we had an incredible time photographing little bits of
color, some incredible reflections, mushrooms, birch bark,
chipmunks, and moving water. I did not make a single bird
photograph yet came home stoked! Two slots are already filled.
Photos to follow soon!
For
information on the upcoming BAA The Art of Nature Photography; It
Ain't Just Birds Photography Weekends in Chicago (early July) and
Queens, NYC (late August), visit the home page at
www.birdsasart.com
