BIRDS AS ART BULLETIN 162

FEBRUARY 16, 2005

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HOMER IPT REPORT!

ANNOUNCING THE 2006 HOMER IPT

BAA MAIL ORDER UPDATES

COMING SOON: TANZANIA 2006 ANNOUNCEMENT

IPT UPDATES

Bald Eagle/emerging with fish, Homer, AK

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS L lens (handheld) at 200mm with EOS 1D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering near zero set manually: 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6.

As the birds are often extremely close, the 70-200 lens proved quite useful as it provided a wealth of oft-used focal lengths.

Photo Theme: A few of my more than 125 favorite Homer images

HOMER IPT REPORT

Bald Eagle, "No Room at the Inn," Homer, AK

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS L lens (handheld) at 200mm with EOS 1D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering plus 2 1/3 stops off of the white sky set manually: 1/800 sec. at f/2.8.

With some really low light days, I learned the value of the 2.8 lenses big time on this trip. Here, the 2.8 aperture allowed me to work at ISO 400 and still maintain a fast shutter speed. (Only the left-hand bird could have used a bit more depth of field...)

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For years, I had heard of the fantastic opportunities to photograph Bald Eagles of all ages on the Homer Spit. Seeing Greg Downing's fabulous eagle images from his 2004 trip was the last straw, so Greg and I agreed to co-lead two groups in February 2005. I just returned from that trip, and all that I can say is that despite all the great things that I had heard I was totally amazed. There were eagles everywhere and virtually unlimited opportunities to make great images. At times, the weather was difficult (especially the strong north winds on the many sunny days) but even then the creative photographer who was willing to be cold, to put up with a bit of snow or drizzle (of which we had very little), or try a new technique (like manual flight-flash) had lots of great chances.

We had 12 folks in each group, but three (John Slonina, Rob Wilson, and Rocky Sharwell) registered for the entire ten days (and were glad they did). Rob actually left several days early stating that he had gotten everything the he could ever have dreamed of and more. Aside form the eagles, we had unexpected chances with two rare species: a pair of Emperor Geese frequented the area behind the Land's End Motel and were several winter plumage adult Slaty-backed Gulls. We also got to photograph Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Grey-crowned Rosy Finch, Common Merganser (hens and drakes), Common Goldeneye, Mew (uncommon) and Glaucous-winged (abundant) Gulls of all ages, Rock Sandpiper, and some murres. Chris Dodds, venturing out on his own had some good chances with Hooded Merganser.

Bald Eagle/head and breast in sweet light, Homer, AK

Canon 500 mm f/4 L IS lens and 2X II TC with the EOS 1D Mark II. ISO 320. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop set manually: 1/200 sec. at f/11.

The background here was not water but ice in shade. The sun was so low on the horizon that the bird's breast is already in the shade of the earth. Sitting on a big chunk of ice, the bird's head was spotlit by he setting sun. Now that is sweet light!

ANNOUNCING THE 2006 HOMER IPT

Bald Eagle/golden silhouette at dawn, Homer, AK

Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS lens (handheld) from the vehicle. ISO 250. Evaluative metering at zero off of the brightest sky: 1/2000 sec. at f/32.

Though I do not own this lens, it proved extremely useful in Homer. Here I metered the lightest area of the sky to prevent the gross over-exposure of the sun itself (had it been included in the frame). As a result, this image needed to be lightened considerably.

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With the unparalleled success that we had in Homer this year, Greg and I decided before we left to schedule a repeat performance in 2006. (Do see the notice of possible problems beyond our control below).

Eagle Photography Heaven!

Hard to believe but true... Homer was beyond amazing!

Here are the details:

Homer, AK, Bald Eagle IPT w/co-leader Todd Gustafson

MAR 3-7, 2006 5-day: $1699 (limit 12; Sold Out)

March 8-12, 2006. 5-day: $1699 (limit 12; 4 openings)

Meals and ground transportation are not included on this IPT. The politics of feeding and photographing Homer Spit's Bald Eagles are complex. Participants will need to rent an SUV that allows the rear windows to be lowered completely as the first hour or so of photography (two photographers per vehicle) is usually done around the eagle-feeding compound. We will be glad to attempt to arrange two-person carpools. While we are currently accepting $500 deposits for the 2006 Homer IPTs, these tours will be cancelled if the town, state, or Fish and Wildlife institutes a ban on eagle feeding. We will have a good idea of the situation by early winter and registrants are cautioned against purchasing non-refundable plane tickets until they hear from us. If the trip does run and you cancel two months prior to the start of the trip, your deposit is fully refundable only if the tour sells out. If you are serious about joining us for this incredible experience, you are urged to send your deposit ASAP.

Bald Eagle in flight in snow, Homer, AK

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS L lens (handheld) at 200mm with EOS 1D Mark II. ISO 800. Evaluative metering plus 2 1/3 stops off of the white sky set manually: 1/800 sec. at f/2.8.

Here again the 2.8 aperture really helped in the creation of a wonderful image, one I had dreamed of making...

BAA MAIL ORDER UPDATES

Bald Eagle/in drizzle, Homer, AK

Canon 600 mm f/4 L IS lens the EOS 1D Mark II on beanbag. ISO 400. Flash as main light with Better Beamer: 1/250 sec at f/4 set manually. This image was made in near darkness and light rain from the vehicle. The exposure was about 2/3 below the metered exposure.

Greg taught the more advanced photographers (including me!) how to use manual flash when using flash as main light. It was amazing how much we learned from each other...

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BAA Mail Order continues its explosive growth fueled by many factors: Jim's competence and dedication; the continued exponential growth of bird photography; the fact that we now accept credit cards over the phone; and by the fact that the many folks who learn by receiving our Bulletins and by e-mailing me personally with their equipment questions choose us as the source for their photo-related purchases.

The Pocket Guide to Evaluative Metering is sold out. I hope to reprint it this spring and to include a digital update. Panning Ground Pods, Umbrella Clamps, Gitzo 1325 CF Tripods, and the 300 f/2.8 IS JRF covers are all back-ordered but we expect shipments of all of those items within the next few days at most. Everything else is in stock. This includes all of our books, all Wimberley products, all Delkin products, and the Mongoose M-262. Bubble levels and Better Beamers are in good supply, the latter including the latest model, the FX-3, which was designed and created specifically for the new Canon 580 flash. (Look for our field evaluation of this great new product in a Bulletin soon.) A special thanks goes to all of our international customers many of whom have placed large orders recently.

Bald Eagle/starting dive, Homer, AK

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS L lens (handheld) at 195mm with EOS 1D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering plus 1 stops off of the early morning sky set manually: 1/200 sec. at f/5.6.

I used AFPS (45-point AF) to create this image which is one of my very favorites from the trip. On the sunny north wind days it took a while to get the hang of the flight patterns as the birds flew up into the wind and then would turn abruptly and start their dive.

COMING SOON: TANZANIA 2006 ANNOUNCEMENT

Todd Gustasfson and I will be returning to Tanzania together in January 2006. The tentative dates are JAN 16-30, 2006 (on the ground in Tanzania). Exact dates, the itinerary, and rates will be announced here no later than early March. See below for details of Kenya/August 2005 Photo Safari IPT.

IPT UPDATES

Bald Eagle/banking, Homer, AK

Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS lens handheld with the EOS 1D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop set manually: 1/1250 sec. at f/8.

Towards the end of the trip I began using the central sensor only for flight and came to the conclusion that it consistently yields sharper images than AFPS (45-point AF).

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2005 SW FLA President's Holiday IPT: FEB 18-22, 2005, 5-DAY: $1399 w/Ellen Anon co-leading (I leave tomorrow am: sold out with one participant joining us from Finland!)

Lake Martin, La, Nesting Spoonbill IPTs 3 -DAY: $899 MAR 19-21, 2005 (Sold Out) May 13-15, 2005 (one opening)

Fort DeSoto/Sarasota IPT: April 1-3 3-DAY: $869 (Sold Out)

St. Augustine Alligator Farm IPT April 28 (aft) thru May 1, 2005. 3 1/2-DAYS: $1049 (Sold out)

Bosque IPTs 3 -DAY: $929. All with co-leader Ellen Anon. NOV 15-17, 2005 (Limit 14, 7 openings), NOV 20-22 (Limit 14, 9 openings) & NOV 26-28 (Limit 14; 12 openings).

SW FLA, Post X-mas IPT. 3 -DAY: $929. DEC 28-30, 2005. (Limit 12)

SW FLA President's Holiday IPT w/co-leader Ellen Anon: $1549. FEB 17-21, 2006. (Limit 14; 13 openings)

San Diego 4-Day IPT: $1399 w/co-leader Ellen Anon. JAN 5-8, 2006 Limit 12.

Register early! You snooze, you lose!

August 2005 Fly/Drive Kenya Photo-Safari IPT

August 15-31, 2005--16 days on the ground: $8,200/person.

$500 deposit

(Single supplement: $1,700.) Airfare to and from Nairobi, Kenya not included.

14 full and two half days of photography

When comparing the cost of this safari with others please note that we do NOT include travel days to and from Africa...

Limit: five vans of three photographers including the leaders.
Luxury accommodations on a twin-share basis with private facilities.
Full American breakfast daily, 16 lunches and 15 dinners

Transport via 4WD vehicle with fully removable roof-hatch with English speaking driver-guide (maximum 3 passengers per vehicle).
All park entry fees and hotel taxes

Air Transport from Nairobi to Maasai Mara and from Maasai Mara back to Nairobi. (This eliminates two killer drives over horrific roads.)

Complimentary water (1/2 liter per person per day) on Days 2-16.

Price does Not Include:

Passport and visa fees and airport taxes.
Airfares to and from Kenya (usually via Amsterdam).
Beverages, laundry, telephone calls or any other items of a personal nature.
Gratuities to hotel porters, wait staff, room attendants and driver-guides.

(The suggested tip for driver guides is $15 US per person/day.)

To see some spectacular Kenya images click on any of the following links:

http://www.martinplant.com/photo/photos.php or: http://www.birdsasart.com/bn146.htm or: http://www.birdsasart.com/bn147.htm or: http://www.birdsasart.com/n147.htm

Galapagos Cruise, July 2005 (Sold Out)

Nome, Alaska IPTs with Greg Downing/June 10-20, 2006: (Both groups sold out.) Please note the year: 2006 is not a typo!) Sold Out, but please contact me if you are interested in having your name added to the waiting list. Long lenses are a necessity.

Antarctica/South Georgia/Falkland Islands Zegrahms Cruise with Arthur Morris and Greg Downing: January 2007. Please e-mail birdsasart@verizon.net for details.

Bald Eagle/immature, Homer, AK

Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS lens handheld with the EOS 1D Mark II. ISO 250. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop set manually: 1/800 sec. at f/7.1

Using good people skills can help your bird photography! Greg and I made friends with the two guys who ran the fish processing plant in town... They got in the habit of letting us know when they would be throwing out fish scraps.

Emperor Goose, Homer, AK

Canon 500mm f/4 L IS lens with 1.4X II TC and the EOS 1D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/160 sec. at f/9.

Greg spotted this bird while we were having lunch at Land's End Resort. I left my burger and ran for my gear... Heather relocated the bird the next day and most participants got to photograph it at one time or another.

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Bald Eagle and mountains, Homer, AK

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS L lens (handheld) at 200mm with EOS 1D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero set manually: 1/160th sec. at f/16. Flash as main light on eagle.

Here, I intentionally underexposed the correct ambient exposure by about two stops in order to create a dramatic backdrop for the flash-lit subject.

Best and love 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=subscribe To unsubscribe, click here: mailto:birdsasart@verizon.net?subject=unsubscribe. Back issues of all BAA Bulletins and relevant BAA Notes are archived on the web site at: http://www.birdsasart.com/bn.html