BIRDS AS ART BULLETIN #228

April 10, 2007

Visit: www.birdsasart.com

BLOWING IN THE WIND

BAA OHIO SITE GUIDE by MATTHEW STUDEBAKER

VISUAL ECHOES BI-DIRECTIONAL GIMBAL HEAD ADAPTER (B-DGHA)

JAMES SHADLE/MASTER PHOTOGRAPHER/MASTER NATURALIST

JAMES SHADLE SPOONBILL BOAT TRIP OPENINGS

FORT DE SOTO LATE REGISTRATION DISCOUNT OFFERED

NYC SEMINAR

IPT UPDATES

Contact us by phone at 863-692-0906 (Eastern Time Zone) or by e-mail at birdsasart@att.net or birdsasart@verizon.net. The att e-mail address is best from overseas.

We gladly accept credit card orders by phone 8am till 9pm Eastern Time (8 am till 3pm Fridays).

You can use the Paypal links on the web site to order anything. Just type in the item(s) and the amount. If using your own Paypal account, please send to either of the e-mail addresses above.

Note: maximize this e-mail for best formatting.

Important Request: if responding to this e-mail, please take the time to delete all images and all irrelevant text.

Royal Tern in flight, Fort De Soto Park, St. Petersburg, FL

Canon 500mm f/4 L IS Lens with the EOS-1D Mark IIN. ISO 400.

Evaluative Metering +2/3 stop off the low sky: 1/2500 sec. at f/7.1 set manually.

This bird took flight after bathing. With the northeast wind coming over my right shoulder I knew that the bird would have to fly towards me and towards the light Understanding just how the wind will affect bird behavior is vital to the success of your images.

BLOWING IN THE WIND

Many folks do not understand the importance of wind direction on bird photography.

Here is an excerpt from ABP II (http://www.birdsasart.com/ABPII.htm) that explains the basics:

Do understand that in almost all cases, subject-to-imaging sensor or film-plane orientation will be determined by wind direction. Unless it is dead calm (or close to it), or your subjects are in a sheltered area, most birds will face directly into the wind. And this holds true not only for birds in flight, but for birds resting on an open beach, for birds perched in a tree or on a wire, or for birds sitting on a clean perch at your feeding setup. It is important to understand that the very best light angle/wind direction combination for flight will usually not be best for working a group of roosting terns and skimmers.

Here are the basics:

1. Wind and sun together (i.e. from the same direction): Ideal for flight, good for birds on the ground or perched.

2. Wind and sun directions roughly 90 degrees from each other: Good to very good for flight photography, excellent for stationary subjects. These are perfect conditions for making images of birds parallel to the film plane. As a general rule, I will photograph as much as ten to fifteen degrees off of the light-angle to ensure that the subject is parallel to the film plane, but will wait until the bird turns its head back into the light before making an image.

3. Wind against sun: Generally poor for all types of bird photography unless you can find subjects in sheltered or shaded areas. (Note: When the conditions seem to be poor at best, try to allow yourself to think outside of the box.)

Here are three (brand new) additional possibilities that might work for you when facing extreme wind against sun situations (a strong NW wind on a clear morning or strong easterlies on a sunny afternoon):

1-Create backlit images of birds in flight. This works especially well when the subjects are landing as the light will often stream through the feathers. Be sure to check for flashing highlights to avoid burning any white feathers and to check your histogram to ensure that you are not underexposing darker subjects. This approach works best with white birds like Snowy and Great Egrets and Snow and Ross’s Geese.

2- With the sun behind you, strive to create images of birds banking in flight as they turn to land into the wind. Vertical compositions are often possible.

3-Stay home.

Do note that on overcast days that north or west winds in the mornings or east winds late in the day do not present a problem as overcast light is omni-directional. Understanding the importance and the effect of wind direction on bird photography can help you to create stronger images on a consistent basis.

Osprey landing, Indian Lake Estates, FL

Canon 100-400mm IS L Zoom Lens handheld at 320 mm with the EOS-1D Mark IIN. ISO 400.

Evaluative Metering + 1 stop off of low blue sky: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 set manually.

I woke in the motel on Saturday morning past to cold temps and a brisk NW wind and forsook my plans to photograph at DeSoto, opting instead to drive home and get some work done rather than battle the near-impossible conditions. When I went for my walk before lunch, I noted that the wind had switched to the west. Later that day I headed for one of the Osprey nests down by the lake and waited in my SUV for the bird to return. Again, knowing how the wind and light juxtapose helped me create a nice image.

BAA OHIO SITE GUIDE by MATTHEW STUDEBAKER

We are proud to announce that the latest BAA Site Guide is now available:

A Guide to Ohio’s Best Places for Bird Photography

A BIRDS AS ART Site Guide by Matthew Studebaker

I met Matthew Studebaker last October when he graciously agreed to show me around the North Chagrin Reservation on a speaking trip to Cleveland. . I was blown away by the Wood Ducks and the lovely reflections of fall color. You can see my Wood Duck images and learn more about that trip here: http://www.birdsasart.com/bn213.htm. And I was again blown away while viewing Matthew Studebaker’s images and seeing the diversity of great subjects and places in his home state of Ohio. Several months ago Matthew approached me about creating an Ohio Site Guide and I thought that it was a great idea so Matthew went to work. His 61 page guide is exceedingly well done. And as you will see below, he is a skilled photographer (in spite of having “only” a Digital Rebel) and an excellent writer.

The guide gives explicit and clear directions (with great maps), best times to visit, and expected subjects for eight major locations: Crane Creek State Park (migrant songbirds, former IPT-site), Castalia, OH (wintering ducks), East 72nd St., Cleveland (gulls—including rare species, Red-Breasted Mergansers, and ducks), the aforementioned North Chagrin Reservation (ducks—especially tame woodies, Canada Geese, American Robin, migrant songbirds), Conneaut, OH (shorebirds, gulls, and terns), the Bath Nature Preserve (migrant and nesting songbirds, Great Blue Heron rookery), Cuyahoga Valley National Park (nesting songbirds especially warblers & vireos, woodpeckers, and Chipping Sparrow), the Tri-valley Wildlife Area (nesting songbirds especially sparrows—Henslow’s, Grasshopper, and Field, Eastern Towhees & Meadowlarks, and Sedge Wren) and Shawnee State Forest (migrant & nesting songbirds including Hooded, Cerulean, and Prairie Warblers).

In addition, there are lots of technique tips including an excellent section on judiciously using tapes to attract songbirds. Matthew is a set-up master and the Site Guide includes a how-to section with photographic examples and tips for getting the birds to perch on the set up! Lastly there is a section noting the locations of publicly accessible feeding stations in the state.

Matthew Studebaker’s BAA Ohio Site Guide is sent via e-mail as a 5mb PDF file. To order yours, send a check (made out to "Arthur Morris"—be sure to include your e-mail address) or a Paypal (easiest) for $50. Alternatively, you can call us at 863-692-0906 with credit card in hand.

Matthew leads photo tours to various Ohio locations for small groups and individuals. The tours are customized to suit the needs and to realize the goals of the participants Matthew offers in-field advice on how to create the image that you want. Some of his most popular tours focus on songbird photography in some of Ohio’s large forests. As I type these words, Matthew is conducting in-the-field research. As a result, he will be able to take participants right to their target species and then demonstrate the appropriate photographic technique.

You can contact Matthew by phone at 1- 440-423-0875 or via e-mail: matthewstudebaker@yahoo.com

Dicksissel, singing, Valley National Park, Ohio

Bonaparte’s Gull with fish, E. 72^nd Street, Cleveland, Ohio

Buff-breasted Sandpiper, juvenile, Conneaut, Ohio

Chipping Sparrow, Chesterland, Ohio

VISUAL ECHOES BI-DIRECTIONAL GIMBAL HEAD ADAPTER (B-DGHA)

By mounting this lightweight (5 ounces) bi-directional adapter on your (old or new) Wimberley Head you can mount a short lens on your Wimberley Head. For bird or wildlife photographers who like to create an occasional scenic photograph (while using slow shutter speeds) the use of the B-DGHA provides a workable solution to a difficult problem. You will--of course--need a camera body plate for your camera. For creating horizontal images, we recommend using the generic Wimberley P-5 plate, but if you are interested in a camera-specific plate, go to http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/ and click on the link for plates for camera bodies.

Now, here is the part that you will hear only from BAA: in order to use the bi-directional plate successfully, you will need to level the tripod platform by adjusting the legs so that the floating bubble in the level on the tripod platform is centered in the scribed circle. (This process is described in detail in the Practicalities Chapter of ABP II on page 394.)

If you wish to create vertical scenic images with a short lens, you will need to purchase an "L" bracket. I do not like them. Routinely keeping one on your camera body increases the weight of your rig by almost 1/2 pound and greatly impedes camera body handling (as does keeping a camera body or wrist strap on camera that is attached to a tripod-mounted lens.)

It is my belief that if you are a serious landscape photographer you should be using a small, lightweight ballhead.

To order your B-DGHA, send us a Paypal, or a check (made out to "Arthur Morris") or money order for $124.99 plus $4.00 shipping (Florida residents please add 7% sales tax =$8.75). Alternatively, you can call us at 863-692-0906 with credit card in hand.

Brown Pelican at dawn, Tampa Bay, FL

Canon 600mm f/4 L IS lens with the EOS-1D Mark IIN. ISO 640.

Evaluative Metering + 1 2/3 stops off the sky: 1/500 sec. at f5.6. 45 Point AFPS.

“Frog Hair James” leaves the dock early and has you in perfect position to create silhouetted images of the birds in flight. We did not have much sunrise color here so I switched to a white balance of 10,000K. As long as you are using RAW capture it does not matter what your white balance is; you can always tweak or change it later.

JAMES SHADLE/MASTER PHOTOGRAPHER/MASTER NATURALIST

Over the past few weeks I have gotten to know James Shadle better and it has been a pleasure. He is driven, hard-working, talented, and just a helluva nice guy (as is his son Blake). If you visit Jim’s web site (http://www.wildflorida.net/index.aspx), you will quickly see that he is a fine photographer; be sure to check out the Wildlife and the Abstract galleries. Most excellent photographers are also—almost by necessity—excellent naturalists as well and James, having taken the Freshwater Module of Florida University’s “Florida Master Naturalist” program fits right into that category. His ability to spot small creatures like rattlesnakes (swimming in salt water) and baby Diamondback Terrapins borders on the supernatural (and he is—of course—a fine macro photographer).

“Fine Frog Hair” James is just beginning work on a Greater Tampa Bay/Hillsborough County Site Guide BAA Site Guide. James makes a living selling batteries and I only half-jokingly said to him this morning that he should quit the battery salesman ruse because looking at his web site you get the feeling that he must be out there photographing 24/7/12… He knows a ton of great bird photography sites that I have never even heard of much less visited.

Below are a few examples of James’ work. The technical information is unavailable so please go easy on the hate e-mails…

Roseate Spoonbill landing, Tampa Bay, FL

Roseate Spoonbill flapping, Tampa Bay, FL

JAMES SHADLE SPOONBILL BOAT TRIP OPENINGS

On the morning of Monday April 16 both James and I will be providing in-the-field instruction on a morning boat trip on Tampa Bay. Guaranteed flight photography subjects include Roseate Spoonbill, White Ibis, and Brown Pelicans (some carrying nesting material). (Similar trips on April 12^th and 20ieth are sold out.)

If you would like to consider joining us on the 16^th , the fare is $300 (if one person), $250 each for 2-3 folks. There are currently three slots open.

James has two slots ($250) open for tomorrow morning, Wednesday, April 11, 2007. (I will not be on that trip.)

Please contact James as follows: contact by cell phone at 813-363-2854 or via e-mail at James@wildflorida.net. If you are interested in joining Jim for either afternoon, please mention it to him.

Brown Pelican with really big stick!, Tampa Bay, FL

American Oystercatcher calling in flight, Tampa Bay, FL

FORT DE SOTO LATE REGISTRATION DISCOUNT OFFERED

Please call us at 863-692-0906 to learn of the substantial late registration discount that we are offering only for the second Fort DeSoto IPT:

Fort DeSoto IPT: APR 17-19, 2007. Slide program on the evening of Monday, APR 16. 3-DAY: $999 (Limit 14; openings: 4.) Co-leaders: Todd Gustafson, Robert O’Toole, and Alfred Forns. Courtship and breeding behaviors of Laughing Gull and Royal and Sandwich Terns. Herons, egrets (including both dark and light phase Reddish Egret), shorebirds (including Long-billed Curlew), gulls, terns, and skimmers among others.

Reddish Egret dancing, Fort De Soto Park, St. Petersburg, FL

Canon 400m f/5.6 L Lens handheld with the EOS-1D Mark IIN. ISO 400.

Evaluative Metering +2/3 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6.

With a nice northwest wind on Friday afternoon, I positioned my self just ahead of the light angle so that when the bird lifted off into the wind to dance, he was coming towards me and towards the light. DeSoto is really starting to hop right now. We still have two slots on the 2^nd De Soto IPT.

NYC SEMINAR

The Art of Nature Photography; It Ain’t Just Birds!

Weekend How-To Seminar

Queens, New York (near JFK Airport)

August 18-19, 2007

The cost of the weekend seminar will be $169. The cost of either single day will be $99. Members of qualifying camera clubs are invited to apply a $10 discount. (If you are a member of a camera club or other photography organization please e-mail for details.) Register with a friend or spouse and take $10 off each registration. Register in groups of four or more and take $20 off of each registration. Get a group of ten photographers together and apply a $30 discount to each registration. (Please e-mail for group registration details.) It is highly recommend that folks purchase the buffet luncheon option ($15/day includes tip and tax) as there are no fast food restaurants nearby. Those purchasing the lunch option will receive their lunch coupon when they check in each morning.) The cost of the weekend seminar plus the two lunches is $199.

To register, send a check for the full amount made out to "Arthur Morris" to PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855, call with a credit card: 863-692-0906, or send a Paypal (using either any link on our site or your Paypal account) to us at birdsasart@att.net In all cases, we will need your e-mail address, your mailing address, and your daytime and evening phone numbers. Here is our Cancellation Policy: If for any reason you need to withdraw, please notify us ASAP. Once we receive your e-mail, phone call, or written notice of your cancellation the following fees apply: cancel before May 17, 2007 and your fee will be refunded less a $20.00 cancellation fee; cancel by July 17, 2007 and your fee will be refunded less a $50.00 cancellation fee; cancel after July 17, 2007 and there will be no refund.

The doors will open on both days at 8 am and the programs will begin at 9 am sharp. There will be tons of great door prizes. I hope that you will be able to join me for what will be an incredibly educational and fun-filled weekend. (If anyone would like to help us set up or to simply hang out, be there at 7:00am.)

seminars.htm.

In August, fall shorebird migration is well underway at the nearby Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Photography at the East Pond there can be excellent, especially for those who do not mind crawling in the mud and muck. Folks joining us from out of town should strongly consider bringing their gear and doing some photography at J-BAY, one of my favorite places on the planet, and one of my three soul-places. I would advise staying on after the seminar (rather than coming in early) as the juvenile shorebirds, which can be extraordinarily tame, begin arriving in mid-August.

Lilly pad sunrise, West Lake Toho, Kissimmee, FL

Canon 15mm fish eye lens, handheld with the EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 400.

Exposure set by histogram evaluation: 1/80 sec. at f/7.1

This image, and the image below were made on Jim Neiger’s great pontoon boat (http://www.birdsasart.com/n225.htm).

With a somewhat empty pre-dawn foreground, I asked Jim to move the boat just a few feet; success! I have been carrying the fish eye a lot lately and trying to learn to use it effectively.

And remember, it ain’t just birds!

IPT UPDATES

Fort DeSoto IPT: APR 13-15, 2007. Slide program on the evening of Thursday, APR 12. 3-DAY: $999 (Limit 12: Sold Out.) Co-leaders: Robert O’Toole, Alfred Forns, and Robert Amoruso. Courtship and breeding behaviors of Laughing Gull and Royal and Sandwich Terns. Herons, egrets (including both dark and light phase Reddish Egret), shorebirds (including Long-billed Curlew), gulls, terns, and skimmers among others.

NEW! Fort DeSoto IPT: APR 17-19, 2007. Slide program on the evening of Monday, APR 16. 3-DAY: $999 (Limit 12; openings: 2.) Co-leaders: Todd Gustafson, Robert O’Toole, and Alfred Forns. Courtship and breeding behaviors of Laughing Gull and Royal and Sandwich Terns. Herons, egrets (including both dark and light phase Reddish Egret), shorebirds (including Long-billed Curlew), gulls, terns, and skimmers among others.

NEW! St Augustine Alligator Farm MAY 17-20, 2007. 3 1/2 DAY IPT: $1099 (Limit: 12; openings: 4) Introductory Slide Program from 2-4pm on the afternoon of Thursday, May 17. This IPT includes 7 photography sessions and four slide programs, with at least two devoted totally to Photoshop. Amazing heron and egret rookery. Nesting Great, Snowy, and Cattle Egrets and Tricolored Herons, all with chicks.

Silver Salmon Creek: August 8-14, 2007. Coastal Brown Bears catching salmon, Horned Puffins, macro, scenics, and fishing (optional): $4999. (Limit 11: Sold Out ).

Bosque #1: "The Fall Color IPT" NOV 13-15, 2007. Slide Program on the evening of NOV 12. 3-DAY: $999. (Limit 14; openings: 10). Co-leader: Robert O'Toole. This IPT should feature a better chance for a day or two of the rare south winds that drastically improve flight photography and will definitely feature the brightest fall-color cottonwoods.

Bosque #2: "The Pre-Thanksgiving IPT" NOV 18-20, 2007. Slide Program on the evening of NOV 17. 3-DAY: $999. (Limit 10; openings: 12). Co-leader: Robert O'Toole & Alfred Forns. This IPT will feature increasing numbers of geese and cranes with lots of great opportunities. In 2007, I will again be hosting a Thanksgiving Day luncheon at Las Lunas Mansion, a fine restaurant in an historic building. You will need to reserve a spot and pay in advance. Details TBA; strictly limited to 50 folks.

Bosque #3: "The Post-Thanksgiving IPT" NOV 24-26, 2007. Slide Program on the evening of NOV 23. 3-DAY: $999. (Limit 14: Sold Out) Assistant leaders: Robert O'Toole, Robert Amoruso, and Alfred Forns. This IPT is scheduled on dates that I consider peak for Bosque. (There may be a Full Moon Add-on NOV 23; details TBA. If you register for this one, hold off on buying your plane ticket if you might be interested in the add-on.) In 2007, I will again be hosting a Thanksgiving Day luncheon at Las Lunas Mansion, a fine restaurant in an historic building. You will need to reserve a spot and pay in advance. Details TBA; strictly limited to 50 folks.

SW FLA Post X-mas IPT: DEC 27-29, 2007). Slide program on the evening Wednesday, DEC 26, 2006. 3-DAY: $1029. (Limit 12) Co-leaders: Alfred Forns, & Robert O'Toole. Sanibel Island, Venice Rookery, Cape Coral, and possibly Little Estero Lagoon (depending on the tides). Herons, egrets, gulls, terns, skimmers, shorebirds, both pelicans, Osprey, Burrowing Owl, and lots more. Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork possible.

Snail Kite, fledgling taking flight, West Lake Toho, Kissimmee, FL

Canon 600mm f/4L IS lens with the 1.4X II TC and the EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 400.

Evaluative Metering off the reads +1/3 stop: 1/1250 sec. at f/8.

Jim Neiger is as good as it gets when it comes to getting the boat in perfect in perfect position. By working in manual mode you are good to go whether the background is reeds or sky.

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 BAA sponsor as it Delkin Devices. Back issues of all BAA Bulletins can be found in the Bulletin Archives which may be accessed from the home page at www.birdsasart.com