BIRDS AS ART BULLETIN 121
DECEMBER 5, 2003
 
 
BOSQUE 2003 
 
MORE ON BREEZEBROWSER AND PHOTOSHOP CS CONVERSIONS
 
2004 NANPA SUMMIT and TRADE SHOW: JAN 21-25, 2004 PORTLAND, OR.
 
CANON 500 IS and MORE FOR SALE
 
Photo theme:  images made on my recent Bosque Del Apache trip.
 
 
Snow Goose Calling in Front of Rising Sun, Bosque Del Apache NWR, NM    
 Image copyright 2003 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
 
If you have a moment, drop me a line and let me know whether you think this is a real image created in-camera or a Photoshop creation. 
I shall reveal all in the next Bulletin (which will be soon and include a big write-up on the Canon EOS 10D).
 
BOSQUE 2003
 
As always, Bosque was different and inspiring.  With three late cancellations, we wound up with 13 folks in the first group, 12 in the second.  Everyone went home happy.  IPT participants were from AZ, CA, CO, FL, IL, LA, MI, MN, NJ, NV, OR, PA, SC, TX, Ontario, and the UK.    All in all, quite amazing...
 
The Thanksgiving Brunch was attended by more than 50 photographers and friends, and 57 folks showed up for the joint IPT/NatureScapes.net dinner/slide show on the following Saturday evening.  Ellen Anon, as usual, was super in her role as co-leader and did a Photoshop Basics program for each group. 
 
 
Snow Geese/crow Blast-off Bosque Del Apache NWR, NM   
Image copyright 2003 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

 

Canon 100-400mm L IS Zoom lens  and Canon EOS 1Ds camera body.  AI Servo AF/AFPS (45 point).  ISO 50.  Evaluative metering -2/3 stop: 1/25 sec. at f/32. 

 

The 1-4 zoom continues to be my favorite blast-off lens.  Notice that I needed to set the ISO to 50 in order to get the slow shutter speed that I wanted.  Notice also the clean lower edge that serves as a compositional anchor.  I love the secondary blast-off in the upper left...
 
MORE ON BREEZEBROWSER vs. PHOTOSHOP CS CONVERSIONS

 

Many continue to ask whether the Adobe Raw Converter in the new Photoshop CS is better than the Canon conversion used in Breezebrowser.  While I have not tried it yet, the skinny has it that the Adobe conversions are much faster and that for MAC users, the image look great, but for PC users, there are dramatically unpleasant color shifts.  We shall try a few soon and keep you advised. 

 

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  Sandhill Crane/Ice Skater!  Bosque Del Apache NWR, NM   
Image copyright 2003 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

 

Canon 600mm f/4 L IS lens with 1.4X II TC and Canon EOS 1Ds camera body.  AI Servo AF with one of the left-hand sensors selected.   ISO 250.  Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/10. 

 

It was so cold on the morning that made this image that I was unable to depress the shutter button for nearly five minutes right after I made this one because my right index finger was frozen numb.  Ellen, who is from Erie, PA, was forced to her car in tears by the cold...  Folks reported 17 degrees, but it felt more like 12 to me.  Thankfully, it was not windy...
 
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Snow Geese, Crescent Moon, and Venus, Bosque Del Apache, NWR, NM
 

Canon 100-400mm IS L lens at 130mm with Canon EOS 1D camera body.  AI Servo AF/AFPS (45 point).   ISO 3200.  Evaluative metering -1 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/5.6.  

 

I was on the flight deck when some tourists pointed out that the crescent moon and Venus had magically appeared between two black clouds with flocks of geese flying by just a bit low.  I ran off the deck, made one test exposure (at zero...), and then had this group fly by almost immediately perfectly juxtaposed!   Do note that all of the film shooters had packed up there gear... 
 
2004 NANPA SUMMIT and TRADE SHOW: JAN 21-25, 2004 PORTLAND, OR
 
I will be attending the Summit both as a Breakout Presenter (Digital Discoveries in Bird Photography) and a Vendor (we'll have books, Exposure Cards, Better Beamers, JRF Covers, and more).   I am registered for the pre-Summit Field Trip to Cannon Beach. In addition, I am excited about many of the Keynote and Breakout speakers.  I hope to see many of you in Oregon. If  you wind up joining NANPA as a result of reading this notice, please list me as your sponsor.  Thanks!
 
For more info on the Summit, click here.
 
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Snow Goose/Immature Barreling Towards  Landing, Bosque Del Apache NWR, NM   
Image copyright 2003 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

 

Canon 600mm f/4 L IS lens with 1.4X II TC and EOS 1Ds camera body. AI Servo AF with central sensor (note that the sensor was not on the subject at the moment of exposure).  ISO 400.  Evaluative metering off of the relatively light sky set manually: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3.  (I teach folks to set their exposures manually in situations where the light is constant and the background is changing from moment to moment, here from sky to cottonwood tree to dark mountains to cornfields...)

 

This is one of my very favorite flight images from the trip.  Realize of course that wind direction relative to light angle is what creates great conditions for flight photography.  Best is when the wind is coming from the exact same direction as the light, but having the wind anywhere from behind you while looking down your shadow line is acceptable.  Northwest winds in morning and southeast winds in the afternoon pretty much rule out making front-lit images of birds in flight...

 
CANON 500 IS and MORE FOR SALE
 
Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS lens with neoprene cover, lens hood/cap & cover, hard case, like new,  asking $4800.
Canon EF 70 - 200mm f/2.8 lens with tripod collar, lens hood, lens caps, hard case, box, like new, asking $935.
Canon EOS 1N body, with E-1 Power Drive Booster, body cap, strap, manual & box, like new, asking $845.
 
If interested, contact Lesley Collins at:   lesley@packinghousegallery.com
 
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American Kestrel, Bosque Del Apache NWR, NM   
Image copyright 2003 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

 

Canon 600mm f/4 L IS lens with 2X II TC and EOS 1Ds camera body.  One-shot AF with the central sensor (the only one available with the 2X TC and an f/4 lens). 

ISO 250.  Evaluative metering at zero: 1/400 sec. at f/8. 

 

As I led only two (rather than three) IPTs this year, I had lots of time to make images using the car-as-blind technique.  I did not have much luck until the last day.  I love how the background color complements the color of the bird's upper breast.  The sharpness of images made wide open with the 500 and 600mm IS lenses and the 2X II teleconverter continues to astonish me...  
 
 
 

Best and great picture making to all,
      
Artie 

Note: Arthur Morris has been a Canon contract photographer since 1994 and continues in that role today.  Hunt's Photo of Boston, MA is a BIRDS AS ART sponsor, as is Delkin Devices.  Do feel free to forward this Bulletin to one or more photographer-friends. Those wishing to subscribe click here mailto:http://birdsasart.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=94ad23bd96f48a1de2ca612b3&id=bdb4a511a0?subject=subscribesubject=subscribe  If you  received this bulletin in error, or would like your name removed from the subscriber list click here birdsasart@verizon.net?subject=unsubscribe  Back issues of relevant Bulletins are archived on the web site at: http://www.birdsasart.com/bn.html