Sleep-deprived at Nickerson Beach for Good Reason

Trapped in Password Hell

I do not have access to my samandmayasgrandpa e-mail address. If you wish to join me at Nickerson Beach or at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay in the next few days, please text me at 863-221-2372. Have a good one. a

Your Call

这是一个摄影比赛。Place today’s three featured images your order of your preference with the winning image first, the runner up photo second, and the loser, third All are invited to play judge and let us know why they made their choices. I love all three of them.

What’s Not Up Early?

Many bird photographers including the majority of folks photographing the terns and skimmers at Nickerson this past week, arrive between seven and nine am. They may get to make some good images on a cloudy day. On sunny days, I am heading home just as they are arriving. I try to be on the beach 45 minutesbefore sunrise, and always want to be in position at least 15 minutes before the time of sunrise.

My Big Rant

I continue to be flabbergasted by the number of folks carrying $10-$20,000 worth of quality camera gear who have zero clue as to how to make good (let alone great) images: shooting well off light angle, facing into the wind, failing to see and find good situations, poor technique, and. incorrect gear choices. As I say often, I am simply baffled.

What’s Up?

Me, early, to take advantage of some wonderful sunrise colors. Friday morning had tons of that, and once the clouds took over, lots of good chances with Black Skimmer chicks. Today is Saturday 6 August 2022. The forecast for Lido Beach is identical to Friday’s forecast: partly to mostly cloudy with a SW breeze. I will be headed to the beach very early in hopes of some more spectacular sunrise light. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about two hours to prepare (including the time spent on optimizing three new images) and makes one hundred thirty-five days in a row with a new one.

So far, seven folks have been in touch about joining me at either Nickerson or JBWR in the coming weeks. See the details below. Carlotta Grenier is returning next Monday for another In-the-Field session. The first window for doing shorebirds at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining aBAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

从左上角开始顺时针回到中心:Wilson’s Phalarope, JBWR;刚刚羽翼丰满的普通燕鸥，尼克森;Black Skimmer，成人撇脂，Nickerson;黑Skimmer杀死小Skimmer chick, Nickerson;日出觅食的美国捕牡蛎者，尼克森;普通燕鸥雏鸟吞咽小蓝鱼，尼克森;短喙杜威切，幼鸟，双顶翼伸展，JBWR;黑色掠食者，黎明前羊群模糊，尼克森;黑掠食者，10天大的小女孩，尼克森。 Click on the card to view a larger version. Nickerson Beach/East Pond JBWR composite

Nickerson Beach/East Pond at Jamaica Bay (JBWR) In-the Field Workshops

JBWR的尼克森海滩和东池塘都提供了地球上最好的仲夏鸟类摄影。每个季节都有数百对黑Skimmers和普通燕鸥，以及十几对美国蛎鹬在尼克森繁殖，所以有很多大小不一、漂亮的羽翼丰满的幼鸟可供拍摄。如果水位很低，每年8月，数百只长着漂亮新鲜羽毛的年轻滨鸟在南下时都会在池塘边停留。

尼克森经常在最原始、最基本的层面上揭示自然。大多数日子里，我们可以拍摄各种各样的戏剧性行为，从掠食者和燕鸥钓鱼和喂养(和照顾)他们的你。这里经常有机会拍摄各种各样的掠食性遭遇——海鸥吃大型掠食者幼鸟，掠食者吃掠食者幼鸟，游隼在捕猎。如果幸运的话，很少会有游隼捕食!考虑和我一起学习大量关于鸟类摄影和鸟类的知识。

I am taking the Auto Train north on 31 July and will happily spend all of August on Long Island. I head south on 31 August and should be back home on 1 September (barring anything unforeseen). I am offering In-the-Field sessions at both Nickerson Beach and the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. If you are interested, please get in touch viae-mailor text me at 863-221-2372.

Whether you are a local or would like to fly in for several days of instruction — a sort of private, or small group. — at worst, IPT, LMK viae-mailso that we can work on a schedule that could possibly include both Nickerson and Jamaica Bay.

The First DeSoto IPT

If you are interested in the first DeSoto IPT, 3 1/2 Days, Tuesday 27 September through the morning session on Friday 30 September 2022, know that I just reserved a three-bedroom AirBnB in Gulfport. Share it for four nights with many multiple IPT veteran Monte Brown and me and save a ton on lodging: $83.69/night/person for a whole home. AirBnB photos available upon request. If interested, shoot me ane-mail.

Instagram

Follow me on Instagramhere. I am trying to feature both new and old images, especially images that have not appeared recently on the blog. Or search for birds_as_art.

BIRDS AS ART Image Optimization Service (BAA IOS)

Send a PayPal for $62.00 tobirdsasart@verizon.net或者拨打863-692-0906打电话给吉姆，用信用卡支付62美元。Pick one of your best images and upload the raw file using a large file sending service like Hightail or DropBox and then send me the link viae-mail.我会下载并保存你的原始文件，评估曝光和清晰度，并在Adobe Camera raw中转换原始文件后优化图像，就像它是我自己的一样。最重要的是，我会把整个过程录下来，并把视频链接发给你下载、保存和学习。

Induro GIT 304L Price Drop

Amazingly, we have two, brand-new-in-the-box Induro GIT 304L tripods in stock. They are $699.00 each (were $799.00) and the price now includes the insured ground shipping to the lower 48 states. Weekday phone orders only: 863-692-0906. Order yoursherewhile they last.

Please Remember

You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

Brand-New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords BAA Discount Policy

爱上贝德福德的人们现在可以在结账时使用BIRDSASART优惠券代码，享受用信用卡支付的订单的购后3%的折扣(不包括税和运费)。3%的信用额度将退还给您购买时使用的信用卡。另外，一定要勾选免费送货的选项，享受第二天的联邦快递免费服务。此优惠不适用于购买课程、礼品卡或任何之前的购买。

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to clickhere, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins viae-mail或者打他的手机(中部时间479)381-2592。一定要提到BIRDSASART优惠券代码，并检查免费航运框。会自动升级为免费的第二天空运联邦快递。史蒂夫一直很擅长让人们了解B&H和其他地方脱销的热门商品。大商店里那些难买到的商品的等候名单可能长达一年或更长时间。史蒂夫肯定会在那之前给你准备好装备的。在过去的一年里，他一直在帮助BAA博客的人们获得诸如索尼a 1、索尼200- 600g OSS镜头、佳能EOS R5、佳能RF 100-500mm镜头和尼康500mm PF镜头等产品。史蒂夫风度优雅，乐于助人，渴望取悦他人。

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW

If You Enjoy the Blog …

Please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will (still!) save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I lost about fifty thousand dollars in income due to COVID 19 — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clickinghereto leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and onBPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions viae-mail.If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created on 4 August 2022 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, New York. I used the hand heldSony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lenswith theSony FE 1.4x Teleconverter(at 840mm) with The One, theSony a1 Mirrorless Camera.Shutter Priority +1.3 stops: 1/250 sec. at f/9 (wide open). AUTO ISO set ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with Exposure Compensation on the Thumb Wheel. AWB at 6:01:54am on a sunny morning about seven minutes after the time of sunrise. Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly. Image #1: Black Skimmer in quasi fire-in-the-mist conditionsimage

Quasi Fire-in-the-Mist Conditions

If you know where to be, these quasi fire-in-the-mist conditions exist every clear morning. You do, however, need to know exactly where to be. Most folks including other professional tour leaders, fail to take advantage of these spectacular conditions.

For many of the sessions I have been going light carrying just the 200-600 G lens. Note that for Image #1 I added the 1.4X TC and risked a rather low shutter speed: 1/250 sec. at 840mm handheld is pushing things.

这张图创建于2022年8月5日。在尼克森海滩公园，丽都海滩卡塔尔世界杯亚洲预选赛，纽约长岛。Seated on damp sand, I used the lowered, no-longer available (except from BAA) Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mountedPanning Ground Pod-supportedSony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lenswith theSony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, theSony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera..Shutter Priority +2.3 stops: 1/60 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open). AUTO ISO set ISO 1250. Exposure determined via Zebras with Exposure Compensation on the Thumb Wheel. AWB at 5:52:56am about 3 minutes before the time of sunrise on a partly cloudy morning. 跟踪:区域/AF-C与鸟眼/人脸检测执行完美。点击图片欣赏高分辨率版本。 Image #2: Black Skimmer in flight against the brightly colored pre-dawn sky

Partly Cloudy Often Equals Sunrise Color

I make sure to be in position at least 15 minutes before sunrise when the forecast is calling for partly cloudy. Why? Though there are no guarantees, light clouds on the eastern horizon often offer brilliant and vibrant sunrise colors. There was a fifteen minute clear window below the clouds on Friday morning and they created a varying array of colors as the day progressed.

经验:摸黑从床上爬起来，尽早到达沿海地区。

这张照片也是在2022年8月5日拍摄的。在尼克森海滩公园，丽都海滩卡塔尔世界杯亚洲预选赛，纽约长岛。Again, seated on damp sand, I used the flattened, no-longer available (except from BAA) Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mountedPanning Ground Pod-supportedSony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lenswith theSony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, theSony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera..Shutter Priority +2.3 stops: 1/250 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open). AUTO ISO set ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with Exposure Compensation on the Thumb Wheel. AWB at 6:38:54am as the sunrise colors had begun to fade on a partly cloudy morning. Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #3: Black Skimmers against pink sky

Why the Flattened Tripod?

我需要在护堤上的鸟下面，然后尽可能地低，这样我就可以享受淡粉色天空的背景色，而云开始接管。

教训是:观点决定一切，所以要谨慎选择。

Unsolicited via e-mail from Pete Myers

I just spent 4 days in the field in a graduate course in bird photography taught by Artie Morris at Fort DeSoto. After almost 50 years of experience pointing cameras at birds from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego, New Zealand and beyond, I thought I was good enough. But what I learned from Artie in just four days has taken me to a whole new level. As he aptly puts it, “birds as art,” not simply bird photography. One of those 4 days was the most satisfying I’d ever experienced, anywhere. The IPT left me euphoric about what I’d learned, and frighteningly committed to recreating my portfolio with the techniques and insights he taught me.

Via e-mail from Jim Miller

I can’t stop thinking about how much fun the DeSoto Fall IPT was, and how much I learned. There were so many things that suddenly made perfect sense after I had been confused for so long. Thank you very much for the wonderful trip, and for being a great teacher. As I worked through the raw files last week, I realized what a fantastic lens the 600 GM is. Thanks for the rental! Maybe someday I will be able to afford one. Some images for critique are attached.

顺便说一下，我们在格尔夫波特的人行道上看到的植物是蓝Porterweed。在网上花几分钟阅读一下它是值得的:它原产于佛罗里达和加勒比地区，在巴哈马群岛被用作药物，等等。我们把它放在前院的一个大锅里，它需要很多水，但它从春天到秋天都开花。再次谢谢你，阿迪。和你在一起，向你学习真的很好。

Via e-mail from Lee Sommie

I want to thank you for making the Fall 2017 Ft. DeSoto IPT such a fun and educational experience for me. I truly did not want the adventure to end. I now look through the viewfinder with an artist’s mindset. And the real bonus was making new friends with fellow students. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm for wildlife photography. I had a great time with you and look forward to more adventures on future IPTs.

Followed by this one

BTW. I downloaded Photo Mechanic and started using it in my workflow. Since I like using Lightroom for my adjustments, I found a way to incorporate Photo Mechanic and Lightroom together. Lightroom was driving me crazy with how slow it is to import and preview photos. I was impressed with how fast you could preview photos and start editing your photos on the DeSoto Fall IPT. Life is too short to wait for applications to import and preview photos and Photo Mechanic solves that problem.

Via e-mail from Muhammad Arif

I had a great time at Fort DeSoto. Thank you for all the instruction, for your help and pointers; my photography has already improved tremendously, and I’ve never made such good bird photos before. I wish I could’ve joined you on Monday and Tuesday morning as well, but work got in the way. It was also nice meeting the folks on the IPT. Thanks again for everything and I hope to join you at a future IPT sometime again.

秋天的德索托堡到处都是驯服的鸟儿。这张卡片上的所有图片都是在9月底或10月初在德索托堡拍摄的。我希望今年秋天你能和我一起去那里。点击合成图片欣赏大图。 Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Caspian Tern, Great Egret, Sandwich Tern with fish, Willet, Black-bellied Plover threat display, Snowy Egret, 2-year old Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron.

The Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tours

Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #1

3 1/2 Days: Tuesday 27 September through the morning session on Friday 30 September 2022. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers/Openings five.

Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #2

3天半:10月7日至2022年10月10日星期一上午会议。1899.00美元包括三份工作午餐。限制六个摄影师。

Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #3

3天半:10月31日星期一至2022年11月3日星期四上午会议。1899.00美元包括三份工作午餐。限制六个摄影师。

德索托堡位于佛罗里达州圣彼得堡的南部，是秋季候鸟和燕鸥的圣地。那年冬天，它们与数百只白鹭、苍鹭、夜鹭和海鸥一起生活在这个t形半岛上。如果运气好的话，我们应该能拍到佛罗里达最受欢迎的水鸟物种之一:大理石雕鹬。黑腹Plover和Willet很容易，美国蛎鹬几乎是有保证的。大白鹭、雪鹭、大蓝鹭、三色鹭和白鹮也很容易找到，我们几乎肯定会找到一两只温顺的黄冠夜鹭。我们会做一些褐鹈鹕飞行摄影。此外，皇家、三明治、福斯特和凯斯宾燕鸥可能也会为我们提供一些很好的飞行机会。虽然不能保证，但玫瑰spoate spobill和Wood Stork可能是预期的。我们会密切注意一到两场雷暴过后的雀形目沉降物。

On this IPT, all will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposuresbefore pressing the shutter button.每个人都将学习如何接近自由和野生的鸟类，而不打扰他们，了解和预测鸟类的行为，识别许多种类的滨鸟，发现良好的情况，选择最佳的视角，看到和理解光，并通过掌握相机的自动对焦系统设计令人愉快的图像。最重要的是，你一定会学会评估风和天空条件，并了解它们如何影响鸟类摄影。你将学习如何以及为什么在手动模式下工作(即使你害怕它)。最好的消息是，你将能够把你学到的一切带回家，这样无论何时何地你都会成为一个更好的摄影师。

There will be a Photoshop/image review session during or after lunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.

这些ipt只需要一个注册者就可以运行(尽管这并非不可能发生)。最好的机场是坦帕(Tampa)。一旦您注册，您将收到一封电子邮件与湾港AirBnB信息。If you register soon and would like to share an AirBnB with me, shoot me ane-mail. Other possibilities including taking a cab to and from the airport to our AirBnB and riding with me. This saves you both gas and the cost of a rental car.

A $600 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check two months before the trip. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with six folks, soplease check your plans carefully before committing.You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand, or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please shoot me ane-mailif you plan to register or if you have any questions.

Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, juvenile Tricolored Heron, Marbled Godwits, Great Blue Heron, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Stork, smiling Sea Scallop, Ruddy Turnstone scavenging needlefish, Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette at my secret spot, and southbound migrant tern flock blur.

早起，晚睡!

Obviously, folks attending an IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of the sweetest light and sunrise and sunset colors (when possible). The good news is that the days are relatively short in early fall. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving. The length of cloudy morning sessions will often be extended. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free toe-mailor to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.