HOLIDAY NEW YEAR 2010 AND BAA INFO 

Jim Litzenberg, older-daughter Jennifer Morris, and I hope that each of you has a great 2010 filled with love, happiness, good health, family, lots of great images and photography trips, tons of strength and energy, and anything else that you might wish for.  Just make sure to do it one breath at a time and to enjoy each moment. 

Jim and Jennifer both returned to work on Monday and all is well at BAA.  For the first time ever, BAA was closed for ten straight days.  Thanks to the many folks who placed orders through the BAA On-Line Store during our absence.  Jim got the last of the orders shipped on Tuesday. 

Jim got every last order for APTATS II and Alan Murphy's Guide to Songbird Set-up Photography shipped by the Monday before the holiday began.  That encompassed packing and accurately labeling more than 1,000 CDs.  We received many complimentary e-mails thanking Jim for his heroic efforts (he worked the weekend before X-mas to get the last APTATS away on time).  There were a very few folks who wrote complaining that they did not receive their CDs and in addition, there were a few who wrote letting us know that they received one too few or the wrong CD.  All in all Jim did a great job with the 1,000 orders.  Both CDs are currently receiving rave reviews; we have them both in stock.  

HOME AT LAST BUT NOT FOR LONG

I had a great trip to New York. I flew up on 7 DEC and back to Orlando on 30 DEC.  I got to shovel snow for the first time in probably 25 years or so.  Maybe 30.  There was 26 inches of the white stuff in my Mom's driveway in Holbrook, Long Island when I started.; none when I was done.  All travel was paralyzed when I awoke in the middle of the storm, but I made it out to Elizabeth A. Morton NWR in Noyac the next day.   I had to dig my own parking spot with a long handled spade!  I returned twice more.  When it snows the action there is non-stop and you are actually encouraged and permitted to feed the birds. I made two visits to Barnegat Jetty near Ship's Bottom, NJ.  It is a killer good location for photographing birds in winter; it is hard to believe that I never made it there when I lived in NY.  There are several blog entries on Morton, jetty photography in general, and Barnegat in particular.  Click here: www.BIRDSASART-Blog.com and scroll down. 

I played lots of Yatzhee with my Mom, getting my butt kicked the first night we played and then fighting back doggedly until I was able to grab the lead just before I left <smile>  My mother is doing well after her major hip replacement replacement surgery in July but is not of course getting better fast enough.  She is 87.  I spent some wonderful time with my two daughters and their husbands, my four grandchildren, my younger sister Arna (who lives with my Mom), and with my older sister Ilene and her family.  You can see a photo of skinny me with my Mom and my two sisters here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=53117.    You can meet my oldest grandson (Surfer Sam) here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=53170 and his tough but beautiful little sister (Maya the Model) here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=53341.  Sam and Maya are Jennifer's two children.  You can see a wonderful image of my third grandchild Idris and me here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=53542 and of his little brother Idris by following this link: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=53645.  Ilyas and Idris are younger daughter Alissa's kids.  They recently moved to Long Island from Bratislava, Slovokia.

While it is great to be home it has been very cold here in Florida as well, as low as 27 degrees in the mornings at Indian Lake Estates with more of the same forecast.   

I leave for the San Diego IPT on 11 JAN and will stay on for a week for a busman's vacation.  And for some warmer temperatures!  (If you would like to join Todd Gustafson and me on the San Diego IPT, please call or e-mail for information on the very late registration discount.)

While I need to check my calendar when it is time to do my taxes, I believe that I was on the road more than half the time in 2009; if that is correct, it would be my biggest travel year ever. 

Northern Cardinal, male, Morton NWR, Noyac, NY

Image copyright 2009: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with a 25mm Extension tube and the EOS-1D Mark III.  ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 1/3 stops off the snow: 1/160 sec. at f/8 set manually.  Fill flash at -1 stop.  

I love the curious look and posture of the subject and the frost on the bottom of the perch.  To see what others thought of this image and how the folks at BPN helped me to improve it immensely, click here:  http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=52907  There is a lot to learn.

POSSE NEWS: JIM NEIGER

American Crow Attacking Great Horned Owl in Flight
Image copyright  © 2009:  Jim Neiger/Flight School Photography

FLY SOUTH WITH THE BIRDS WORKSHOPS/JIM NEIGER

Ah… Winter in Florida!  Enjoy warm temperatures, dry sunny days, and an abundance of birds that make Florida their home for the winter.  It’s the perfect winter setting for birds and photographers.  Flight School Photography is pleased to announce Fly South with the Birds winter workshops in central Florida.  Your instructor and guide, Jim Neiger, is intimately familiar with this region and its avian subjects; and he knows the hotspots like no one else.  He is the author of the Central Florida Site Guide and several articles about the birds of central Florida.  Jim is also well known for his awesome images of birds in flight obtained by using his own techniques for hand-holding long telephoto lenses.

Each of the three Fly South with the Birds winter workshops will include eight 3 to 4 hour photo sessions: Four photo sessions via boat and four photo sessions on land.  A variety of habitats will be visited, where you will photograph many different species of birds.  The list of possible subjects is too long to include here.  Commonly seen subjects include: Snail Kite, Bald Eagle, Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, Red Shoulder Hawk, Crested Caracara, Osprey, Whooping Crane, numerous wading birds, song birds, woodpeckers, ducks, etc.

The 5 day Winter Workshops will begin with an afternoon classroom session, where you will learn techniques for hand-holding long telephoto lenses to photograph birds in flight.  You will also learn how to safely use recorded bird songs to increase your photographic opportunities.  This will be followed by 4 full days in the field. The group will explore remote and highly productive areas of central Florida and visit a variety of habitats.  The boat sessions will give us access to some of the most difficult and desirable subjects, such as the Snail Kite, the rarest raptor in North America.  Refreshments will be provided during all sessions.

Jim’s 2007 pontoon boat was purchased and customized specifically for use during photography workshops. It is roomy, comfortable, and stable.  The boat is equipped with an extremely quiet, four-stroke motor for silent cruising.  It also has a powerful, silent, electric trolling motor with wireless remote control.  This allows Jim to position the boat precisely and silently.  The boat can be configured with no top, a half canopy to provide shelter from sun and rain, or with a half enclosure that can completely protect participants from the elements.  The boat has capacity for twelve people, but Jim limits the number of participants to only 5 so that everyone has room to relax and photograph in comfort.  Don’t miss this amazing opportunity.

Workshop Dates:

FSB-1:  January 16-20, 2010: Sold Out

FSB-2:  January 30-February 3, 2010: 3 openings/20% last minute discount

FSB-3:  February 13-17, 2010:  2 openings/20% last minute discount

Workshop Cost and payment:

The cost of each workshop is $1400 per person.  Each workshop includes a four hour formal classroom instruction session, welcome dinner, a morning photography session, and an afternoon photography session, each day.  The photography sessions include personalized instruction in the field.  Jim is now offering a 20 percent discount for the remaining workshop openings.  This reduces the cost of the workshop to $1120 per person.  These spots won't  last long so contact Jim ASAP to take advantage of this special price.  All workshop payments must be made by check or money order.  Credit cards are not accepted.

Please make checks payable to Flight School Photography, Inc. and send them to:  Flight School Photography, Inc., Jim Neiger, 550 Basin Drive, Kissimmee, Fl  34744

Participant Requirements:  Participants should have working knowledge of how to create a properly exposed image, a telephoto lens of 400mm or more (300mm with a teleconverter is acceptable), and be physically capable of holding their camera and lens up to their eye in shooting position for at least 20 seconds.  Participants must also have a vehicle to travel to and from the photography locations.

Contact Jim via phone or email:  phone: 407-247-5200, e-mail: jimn@cfl.rr.com.

Flight School website: www.flightschoolphotography.com

(Note from artie:  I cannot wait to get out with Jim when my schedule slows down to try and create some images as good as the four spectacular photos (one above, three below) that he shares with us here... When it comes to photographing flight and action, Captain Jim is as good as it gets.)