DALLAS SEMINAR
REPORT
By any account, the Dallas seminar was a huge
success; in fact, it turned into pretty much of a love-fest.
With relatively small groups of about 70 folks each day, there were lots
of great questions and lots of interesting exchanges. Canon Pro Markets
rep Bob Malish was with us both days with a table-ful of the latest,
greatest Canon gear and--as always--he was a wealth of information. As
usual, I came away learning a ton myself. Bob showed me how to hook up
a Mark II 1DN to the projector so that we could view live in-camera
histograms. And several folks shared a great Curves adjustment tip that
will save hours of optimization time. Several members of the audience
were extremely knowledgeable and added a great deal to the weekend
experience. The Countrywide Theater at the Eisemann Center was a
wonderful and comfortable venue but their price-gouging contract would
lead me to recommend that other professional photographers looking to do
seminars in Dallas look elsewhere. (Price-gouging details available
upon request...)
Though I am home well less than 24 hours as I type
these words at 4:18 am on Tuesday, November 8, 2005, I have already
received many complimentary e-mails. Here is a note from Jeff Huehn,
one of those super-knowledgeable folks who contributed tons of great
info over the two days:
"Mr.
Morris, I would like to thank you for an absolutely wonderful weekend in
Dallas. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you and listening to you speak with
such enthusiasm about your craft. I was very impressed with your
willingness to share with us what you worked so long and hard to
discover. Your teaching skills are superb, and your book doesn’t do
justice to the breadth and depth of your work compared to 16 solid hours
over two days of seeing one jaw-droppingly gorgeous shot after another.
I guess I’m a little disappointed to find out the real secret to great
bird photography is a lot of hard work but I think I suspected that from
the start. Best and thanks again,
Jeff."
And
from Sir John Sherman came: "Thanks for a really great and
informative weekend. I really appreciate your willingness to share your
hard learned lessons with those of us less experienced as this
really lessens our learning curve. A lesser man might well feel
threatened by doing that. Thanks also for the help, good tips, and
products. It is certainly better to learn from someone who has already
been there!"
In
response to the Atlanta seminar evaluation sheets I added a short
section on exposure and e-mailed a 17 page printable outline to the
registrants. Both of these changes were resoundingly successful (the
latter much to my surprise as I am not a note-taker). As an aside, my
friend Ned Harris, one of the world's premier hawk photographers, has a
note pad and a pen in his hand nearly all of the time, but only when he
is awake... Throughout the weekend, I promised to tell fewer stories so
that we could cover more material, but much to the delight of the
audience, I was in nearly all instances simply unable to restrain
myself. And we did manage to cover just about everything that we had
planned to.
Of
the 58 or so folks who were there at the bitter end, 5:30pm on Sunday,
about 40 of them came up to me personally at the end of the program to
give me a hug and to express their thanks. In addition, I got to see
some IPT veterans whom I had not seen for years as well as some current
participants and registrants. Wayne Mitchell, a
new friend, and Jack Panzeca, a multiple IPT-veteran were both extremely
helpful as they helped my receiving and returning the many large boxes
that I had shipped to the seminar. BBC award-winning teen-aged
photographer and former NANPA scholarship student Nick Murphy, a fine
young man, was an immense help checking in registrants and manning the
sales table. To all who attended I extend a huge BIRDS AS ART thanks.
And a huge thanks as well goes to all of the sponsors who generously
donated tons of great door prizes . Among them were Lowepro, Hunt's
Photo and Video, Delkin, Wimberley, Visual Echoes, JRF Manufacturing,
Vested Interest, WildBird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, Birder's
World, Nature Photographer Magazine, and Canon USA (the latter, as it
turned out, the sole supporting sponsor of the Dallas seminar.
Brown Bear sleeping, Kinak Bay, Katmai National park,
AK
Image
copyright 2005: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Some folks have trouble understanding
what it means to "point your shadow at the bird," so I made
this point-your-shadow-at-the-bear image to drive that principle home
at the seminars and on IPTs.
FUTURE SEMINAR CITIES
I am planning to schedule a BIRDS AS ART "The Art
of Nature Photography; It Ain't Just Birds" Weekend Seminar in NYC in
mid-August of 2007. If you are a member of a large photo group or have
contact with a big-name camera store and would like to explore the
possibility of bringing the seminar to your major city, please contact
me by e-mail and let me know your thoughts.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN/BOSQUE INFO
I will be on a plane once again this coming
Sunday headed to Bosque Del Apache NWR in south-central New Mexico for
the eleventh straight year in part to honor Elaine's memory. For the
new folks, Elaine was my best friend and second wife whom I lost to
breast cancer on November 24, 1994. I am a bit saddened to report that
the Val Verde Steak House has closed. As a result, I will not--for the
first time in five years--be hosting a Thanksgiving Day buffet lunch in
Socorro. In fact, I am not sure that anyone will be able to find food
in Socorro on November 24th this year.
There are several openings on the first IPT
(BOSQUE IPT 3-DAY: $929 with co-leader Ellen Anon. NOV 15-17,
2005). The second and third IPTs are sold out. We are
offering a late registrant discount for those who would like to join us
on the first trip. Please call 863-692-0906 for details.
For those who cannot join us, do know that the
Bosque Site Guide is available for purchase here:
http://www.birdsasart.com/siteguides.htm.
All of our Site Guides are designed to help you maximize the
photographic opportunities when visiting various North American bird
photography hotspots. In addition to the Bosque Site Guide, we offer
one that covers San Diego and another that outlines the fabulous photo
opps at Fort DeSoto Park south of St. Petersburg Florida and Sarasota.
The South Florida Site Guide will be available in mid-December at the
latest. A BAA Site Guide is the next best thing to attending an IPT.
Snow Geese,
Fire-in the Mist, Bosque Del Apache NWR, San Antonio, New Mexico
Image
copyright 1998: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
This classic image was created
in early December, 2004. It is the cover photograph for "Light On the
Earth," a new book in publication honoring the best images from the
past 20 years of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Competitions. I was both honored and humbled by the choice...
WIMBERLEY V-2 HEAD SHIP-DATE DELAYED
Wimberley sent us a notice recently stating that
due to circumstances beyond their control the ship-date for the new V-2
Wimberley heads will be delayed at least until mid- to late December of
2005. We have already sold more than half of our allotment of the new
heads. If anyone who ordered has been unduly inconvenienced, please
call or e-mail so that we may assist you. Thanks! For complete details
on the new head scroll down after clicking here: http://www.birdsasart.com/bn185.htm
Sandhill Crane in flight, Bosque Del
Apache NWR, San Antonio, New Mexico
Image
copyright 1998: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
The Bosque Site Guide lets you know
where to be and when, and in addition, it explains the best wind
directions at the various sites. This image was created on a morning
with southerly winds at the Farm Fields.
USED SEACAM DIGITAL UNDERWATER HOUSING FOR SALE
Professional fashion photographer
and sometime BIRDS AS ART assistant IPT instructor Robert O'Toole is
offering a used SEACAM Digital Underwater Housing (made is Austria) for
the Canon EOS 1D Mark II and the 1Ds Mark II camera bodies. The housing
features precise manufacturing and unparalleled ergonomics and is
constructed of aluminum with a special silver coating. No ports are
included. The unit is less than one year old and has been used on only 35
dives. It works perfectly. An extra set of o-rings, as
well as handles, oil, and silicon grease are included. Please see
www.seacamusa.com
or www.seacam.com
for more info. The price new from the distributor is $5,495. Robert, who
is located in Los Angeles, is asking $4,500 (shipping included). If you
have any questions please contact Robert at pxmlax@yahoo.com.
Great Blue Heron,
courtship display, South Venice, FL
Image
copyright 1998: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
The image gracing the cover of ABP I has stood the test of time...
REVIEW OF "THE ART OF BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY"
I received a nice e-mail from Danny
Yee stating that he had recently reviewed "The Art of Bird Photography:
The Complete Guide to Professional Field Techniques" in the Best Books
section of his web site, Danny Yee's Book Reviews (http://dannyreviews.com/index.html).
I visited Danny's site, surfed a bit, and was most impressed. The site
includes more than 800 well written book reviews, with only 62 of those
featured in the Best Books section. I am honored that Danny has included
ABP I there. You can find Danny's thoughtful review here:
http://dannyreviews.com/h/Bird_Photography.html.
Though it is inconceivable to me, I
realize that there is a slim possibility that there are actually one or
two BAA Bulletin subscribers out there (out of our 5454 recipients) who do
not own a signed copy of "The Art of Bird Photography. If you are in that
assuredly small group, you can rectify that situation by clicking here:
http://www.birdsasart.com/books.html#PHOTO_BOOK
Blue-footed
Booby, feet and eggs, Hood Island, Galapagos, Ecuador
Image
copyright 2005: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
The opportunities on Hood Island were so amazing that on our first
afternoon there we never got farther than 300 yards from the dock even
though Wandering Albatross beckoned just a ten minute walk away... We
will be spending two full days on Hood on the trip below.
GALAPAGOS PHOTO TOUR
UPDATE
Galapagos Trip #2: June 28-July 8, 2006: $4499 per person double
occupancy. Limit: 14. This
trip is priced at least $1,000 less than similar trips offered
by Zegrahm ($5700) and Linblad ($5500) and neither of those trips have
me as the leader <smile>. An $800.00 per person deposit is required
at the time of booking. The deposit is non-refundable unless we are
forced to cancel. We currently have five deposits for this trip.
We need to have the trip full by late January or
we will be forced to cancel as the cost of the boat has increased so
much that we need a full trip to make it a go. We
currently have the need for one female roommate. If you are seriously
interested in an amazing trip and a great value, call Janie Bullard
right now to reserve a spot: 1-888-419-6677 or e-mail her at
Janie@Distinctive-Journeys.com.
5 down, 9 to go.
The itinerary is currently being be
fine-tuned to maximize the photographic opportunities and eliminate
the touristy sightseeing-only islands. The trip includes in-the-field
instruction, on-board slide programs, image sharing, and critiquing
sessions upon request. For last year's trip report and images, please
visit:
http://www.birdsasart.com/bn180.htm and
http://www.birdsasart.com/bn181.htm.
Wandering Albatross
displaying, Hood Island, Galapagos, Ecuador
Image
copyright 2005: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
We did make it to the Waved Albatross colony
on our lone morning on Hood Island.
2006 VALLEY LAND FUND
CONTEST
Preparations are now underway for
Texas's Rio Grande
Valley to host many of the
world’s most accomplished wildlife photographers in Spring 2006. In
every even-numbered year since 1994 photographers have traveled to the
Rio Grande Valley to compete in the ultimate wildlife photographic
challenge- The Valley Land Fund’s Wildlife Photo Contests.
The redesigned 2006 contest will bring a new group of photographers to
the Valley. They will compete from April 1 to
June 30, 2006 for
a prize pool of $130,000. Registration is now open and will continue
through
February 28, 2006. The
Valley Land Fund is a nonprofit land trust founded in 1987 that is
dedicated to the conservation of wildlife habitat and native
vegetation in
South Texas. This diverse group of concerned
South Texans has been instrumental in saving several thousand acres of
critical habitat throughout the Valley from Salineno near Falcon Dam
to The Migratory Bird Sanctuary at
South Padre Island. They have also helped to
protect over 8,000 additional acres though conservation easements.
The Wildlife Photo Contests are a major
source of revenue for The Valley Land Fund, which receives no
governmental funding. The mission of the Valley Land Fund is to
“preserve, enhance, and expand the native wildlife habitat of the
Rio Grande
Valley, through education,
land ownership, and the creation of economic incentives for
preservation.” The photo contest creates a partnership between
businesses, private landowners and photographers. Landowners and
photographers compete as teams and share equally in prize money, while
businesses benefit through advertising sponsorships.
The South Texas Shootout and the
Small Tract Competition work to pair landowners, who provide wildlife
habitat, with skilled photographers. Landowners in the eight
South Texas counties (Brooks,
Cameron,
Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Starr,
Willacy and Zapata) are eligible to compete. The Small Tract
Competition is open to properties ranging in size from a traditional
city lot up to 100 acres. The “Shootout” encompasses the larger ranch
properties. There is also a Youth Photo Contest with two age divisions
where youngsters 10 to 19 years old compete. Youth participants are
not restricted to one parcel of land and may photograph at ranches
where they have been granted access privileges anywhere in the eight
counties. For complete details and registration info, click here:
http://www.valleylandfund.com/contest.html
Green Jay, Ramirez
Ranch, Roma Texas
Image
copyright 2005: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
The Rio Grande Valley is home to
many (primarily Mexican) specialty species that are
easily photographed on the private ranches there.
NEW NIKON CAMERA
ANNOUNCED
Nikon recently announced the release of the D200
digital camera body. You can find info at http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=2&productNr=25235.
You can find additional info on Rob Galbraith's site here: http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-7888-8061.
At the risk of inflaming the few remaining
(among nature and wildlife photographers) staunch Nikon-supporters out
there, I must say that all of the Nikon photographers that I have
encountered recently on my IPTs (including Todd Gustafson who had the
cover and ten additional images from Africa in the most recent Nikon
Product Guide) complain that the only Nikon digital camera that is
capable of focusing quickly and accurately on birds in flight or
animals in action is the D2X. Do note that all anti-Canon hate mail
should be directed to my aunt, Helen Waite, who is now in charge of
the BAA Complaint Department. You can e-mail your comments to her at:
gotohelenwaite@aol.net.
Anti-Canon hate mail sent to BAA will be deleted. And as long as we
are on the subject, here are some more facts: Canon offers
13 hand-holdable intermediate telephoto and zoom lenses, each one of
them featuring lightning quick initial focusing and, generally,
accurate autofocus. To the best of my knowledge, Nikon offers only
four: two 70-300mm zooms, the 300 f/4, and the 80-200 VR.
Unfortunately, all Nikon users concede that the 80-400 VR lens
is--because of pathetically slow initial focusing
acquisition--virtually worthless for photographing birds in flight and
in action. In case any of the Nikon folks are nearing apoplexy at
this time, do know that I consider the Nikkor 200-400 mm f/4 VR Nikkor
lens one of the finest lenses ever produced by any manufacturer.
This super-sharp lens features vibration reduction technology, offers
a great range of wildlife focal lengths, performs well with both the
1.4 and 2X Nikon teleconverters, and offers an incredible 6.2 feet
minimum focusing distance at all focal lengths... Todd absolutely
kills in Africa with this lens, and will be even more deadly with it
in Tanzania as after seemingly endless delays, Nikon has finally
gotten a D2X in his hands...
Western Sandpiper,
winter plumage adult, flexing bill, Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde
Key, FL
Image
copyright 2005: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon EF 600mm f/4 L IS lens
with 2X II TC and EOS 1D Mark II. ISO 400.
Evaluative metering at
zero: 1/640 sec. at f/11.
Many brand new images like this one will be
used in ABP II. We should be receiving our next shipment of
Panning Ground-Pods in a day or two. To learn more about shorebirds
be sure to order a signed copy of my book, "Shorebirds; Beautiful
Beachombers," off of our web site.
THE ART OF BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY II
After we posted the excerpt from the
new book, ABP II, several folks wrote complaining that it was difficult to
read the text, several wrote complaining about the PDF format and/or about
the double page spreads and the horizontal format, and some stated that
they would never buy the book if it were not printed as a standard book.
I can certainly understand and sympathize with all of those folks. APB
II, however, will only be available as a CD.
At about 700 pages
in length, give or take a hundred or so, having the book printed is simply
not an option.
Once I am finished laying out and
designing the book, we will give careful consideration to the final
presentation in hopes of making the book as easy-to-read and as
easy-to-view as possible. The
huge success of our Digital Basics File and our Site Guides would seem to
ensure the success of ABP II on CD. If you missed the excerpt, you can
find it here:
http://www.birdsasart.com/Excerpt From Composition Chapter.pdf Note
also that this is just an excerpt from the Advanced Composition and Image
Design Chapter, not the entire chapter as many assumed...
Here is an e-mail that I received from
multiple IPT-veteran and friend Emory C. Moody:
"Hi Artie, I downloaded the chapter on composition from you new book.
If the rest of the book is comparable to this chapter then I will
definitely be in the market for one. If you are accepting advance orders
then please put me down for one! I went back and reread the composition
chapter in the first ABP and personally I feel like this second book has
done a much better job of explaining the concepts. Not only is the text
better, but the images you use to illustrate the points are excellent.
And then on top of that you included a gallery at the end of the chapter.
OUTSTANDING!!!! Just viewing those images is enough to inspire me to go
out and start making better images.
I have only one negative comment about the excerpt: You formatted it like
an open book, i.e. you have two pages side-by-side. I found this to be
kind of awkward to have to zig-zag to get from one page to another. The
Adobe reader will reformat them with the pages stacked, but it does not
keep the photo captions with the photo's when it reformats. Not a major
problem, just kind of irritating. Teaching and photography - those are
two areas where Arthur Morris is definitely world-class. The nice thing
about an Arthur Morris book is being able to experience both in the same
package! Emory PS: I am looking forward to seeing you on the
Lake Martin IPT next spring.
Tern flock in flight, Fort
DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde Key, FL
Image
copyright 2005: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS
lens (handheld at 90mm) with EOS 1D Mark II. ISO 50.
Evaluative metering +2/3 stop
set manually: 1/8 sec. at f/32.
In order to attain the really slow shutter speed that I wanted, it
was necessary to choose the smallest aperture and reduce the ISO as low
as possible... Fort DeSoto Park is one of the new Hotspots that will be
covered in ABP II, and there is lots of room on the upcoming Fort DeSoto
IPT.
IPT UPDATES
SW FLA, Post X-mas IPT. 3 -DAY: $929.
DEC 28-30, 2005. (Limit 12; 4 openings)
SAN DIEGO 4-Day IPT: $1399 w/co-leader Ellen
Anon. JAN 5-8, 2006 (Limit 12, 6 Openings.)
This IPT is shaping up to be a near-private affair. Do consider joining
us to photograph Brown Pelican and Heerman's Gulls in spectacular
breeding plumage, loads of tame shorebirds, Lesser Scaup, and Wood and
Ring-necked Ducks at close range. In addition there is lots of great
behavior and flight photography and lots of really great restaurants.
SW FLA President's Holiday IPT w/co-leader Ellen
Anon: $1549. FEB 17-21, 2006. (Limit 14; 4
openings)
FORT DESOTO IPT, MAR 24-26, (slide
program on Thursday, MAR 23 at 7pm): 3-DAY: $899 (Limit 12, 10 openings.)
Fort DeSoto
has rapidly become one of my very favorite photo locations. Join us
during prime time to photograph Royal and Sandwich Terns & Laughing Gulls
in spectacular breeding plumage/courtship and copulations; dark and white
phase Reddish Egrets in breeding plumage; many other tame heron and egret
species; Forster's Terns, Long-billed Curlew and a dozen or more easily
approachable shorebird species; great flight photography opportunities
will be available at DeSoto. Depending on local conditions we may or may
not enjoy the following in Sarasota: great flight photography
opportunities; Brown Pelicans with nesting material; Great Egret, Great
Blue Heron, & Black-crowned Night-Heron (head and shoulders portraits
likely with this species). This IPT will include at least three slide
programs.
LAKE MARTIN,
LA SPOONBILL IPTs, APR 8-10, 2006
(Limit 12, 9 openings): slide program Friday, APR 7. APR 28-30 (Limit
12, 6 openings): slide program Friday, APR 27. 3 -DAY: $949.
Join us to photograph nesting Roseate Spoonbills, Great &
Cattle Egret, and Little Blue Heron in a budding cypress swamp. We will
witness and photograph a variety of courtship behaviors as well as lots
of nest building. Barring a natural
disaster there will be Great Egret chicks on both IPTs. Tiny spoonbill
chicks are possible on the second IPT but will almost surely be difficult
to photograph. Both IPTs will feature spoonbills
in mind-boggling breeding plumage (unlike anything I've ever seen here in
Florida), but there will be more birds in mega-breeding plumage on the
first tour. The spoonbills will be courting, building nests,
copulating, and fighting. Good flight photography opportunities
are expected on both IPTs. 500 and 600mm lenses with 1.4 and 2X TCs are
recommended; equipment rentals are available. Barred Owls are
guaranteed. There will also be Green Heron, both night-herons, scenic
sunrises, nutria, alligators, and lots of flowers. Sunny afternoons will
be tough at Lake Martin but mornings will be spectacular. With cloudy
weather the days will be long... This IPT includes four slide programs.
Registration includes a complimentary homemade crawfish etouffe dinner:
hosts: Wes and Patti Ardoin. (Fly to Lafayette, La.)
ST. AUGUSTINE
ALLIGATOR FARM IPT
MAY 12-14, 2006. 2 1/2 DAY IPT (Limit: 12, 10
openings): $649
Heron and egret
rookery. Nesting Great Egrets with chicks, nesting Snowy and Cattle
Egrets, and Tricolored Herons. Courtship behaviors, copulations, eggs,
nests and possibly tiny chicks. Includes three classroom sessions in
air-conditioned comfort during the heat of the day. The introductory
slide program will be at 2pm on Friday May 12, 2006.
January 2006 Tanzania Photo-Safari with co-leader Todd Gustafson.
January 16-30, 2006 (14 full and
one half-day of photography): $7762.50/person. Non-refundable
$1000 deposit
required. See or request Bulletin 166 in the archives for
complete details. (Sold out.)
Summer 2006 Kenya Photo-Safari
with co-leader Todd Gustafson. Please e-mail for details. A
non-refundable $1000 deposit required.
HOMER AK Bald
Eagle IPT MAR 3-7 and MAR 3-8, 2006 5-day: $1699 (limit 10) are now
both sold
out.
NOME, ALASKA IPT June 10-20, 2006 in conjunction with Greg Downing:
(Sold out.)
Antarctica/South Georgia/Falkland Islands Zegrahms Cruise with Arthur
Morris and Greg Downing: January 4-24, 2007. Please e-mail
birdsasart@verizon.net
for details. Note: Only a very few of our slots remain for this trip.
For general IPT info, deposit and registration details, and
cancellation policies, please visit:
http://www.birdsasart.com/tours.html
If you would like your name placed on the waiting list for
one or more trips, please e-mail, indicate the trip or trips that you are
interested in, and be sure to include day, evening, and cell phone
numbers. We often have late cancellations.
Brown Pelican, head throw,
LaJolla Cliffs, San Diego, CA
Image
copyright 2005: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
It is easy to create dramatic images of the spectacular breeding
plumage Brown Pelicans with just a short lens in San Diego, provided
that you know where to go and how to approach the birds. We still have
lots of room on the San Diego IPT and are offering a
late-registrant discount.
.....
Least Sandpiper, Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde Key, FL
Image
copyright 2005: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon EF 600mm f/4 L IS lens
with 2X II TC and EOS 1Ds Mark II. ISO 400.
Evaluative metering at
zero: 1/320 sec. at f/16.
When you are right on the beach with your ground pod and the
background is distant, it is best to make your images at a
smaller-than-normal aperture for additional sharpness. There is no
danger of bringing up any background detail in these cases.
