arthur_morris_birds_as_art

The final version of "The Art of Bird Photography II" (on CD only) is now available. Clcik on the link on the home page for details and info. Hint: it rocks!

 

best and love to all, artie

 

ps: The original "The Art of Bird Photography" was re-released in soft-cover in 2003.

Dear Bob, Nate, Simon, Tom, Dan, Bill, Ken, Michael, Mark, Greg,Ryan, Melissa, Art, Christian, Gary A., Gary W., David, and Jeff,

 

I really and truly feel sorry for all of you, especially those of you who are bored by your own photos! I do not and will never tire of looking at good nature photography. Can none of you find pleasure in detail, light, texture, and composition and form (among others)? And what in the world does the fact that an image sells or does not sell at an art fair or to a magazine have to do with whether or not it is an interesting photograph?

Many of you equate "I would not buy that image to hang on my wall" with a photograph being boring. That is a totally ridiculous premise. I'd bet that not one of the folks above has ever paid a cent to hang some famous photographer's large print on their wall--most such prints cost at least several hundred dollars. By their reasoning that must mean that all nature photography is boring (because after all if they were not all boring they would be hanging on their walls!)

When I have the time to visit NPN I find that many of the images could be improved, but most are interesting to me (at least to some degree) and the best of them by the likes of folks like Greg Downing, E.J. Peiker, Jim Shadle, Jim Zipp, Betty Frazier, and many, many others leave me wishing that they were in my family jewels files. And that is just at the Avian Gallery...

 

I humbly suggest that all of you who are bored by most nature photography take up something exciting like knitting or watching soap operas on the tube. And again, you have my sypmathy.

 

Best and great picture-making to all those who are not bored by their own work.

 

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART<div></div>

Hi Gary, Here are some of the fun things about digital photography:

1-Seeing the results almost instantly.

2-Never getting a bad exposure after the first frame in a given situation.

3-Being able to try creative things that you would have been crazy to try with film. For more on this, go to our web site and check BAA Bulletins #93 & 94in the archives. (Examples: hand-holding the 100-400 zoom lens and working in pre-dawn light at 1/6th of a second.

4-Not having to travel with 200 rolls of film. Getting a razor sharp undersides flight shot of a crane in flight well after sundown with the same lens and flash at 1/80 second...)

5-Sharing images in the field.

6-Using the laptop as a teaching tool. (Wait till I get a digital projector.)

 

As I said in my original post to this thread, (along with my fierce determination to succeed) having fun and making images that please me have been the driving forces in my career.

 

Best and love,

 

Artie

Above, Patrick asked, " On a serious note, switching to digital seems to be a gigantic leap when you're not sure of the market. Do you plan on selling prints as a larger percentage of your income? Or do you intend to ONLY bring in profit from your large stock of slides while your working on getting the whole digital workflow/market nailed?"

 

Patrick, I've made gigantic leaps before; when Elaine and I walked away from $105,000 combined annual salaries and a great health plan and benefits package (we were both veteran teachers in the NYC school system)to pursue my dream of being a professional nature photographer specializing in birds, most friends thought that I was nuts (and they were probably correct. If I do not get the storage/access/ distribution problems figured out within a year or so, I may be forced to return to film with my tail between my legs, but that seems unlikely as others have succeeded in these areas already. I have already sent a few digital images to one of the editors who uses my work regularly but have not heard from him yet, so I do plan and getting my digital sales feet wet ASAP (while my workflow procedures are still in their infancy).

 

One point that I forgot to mention in my original post is that I almost never hold the hammer down, preferring instead to make one photo at a time. For most of my digital work I actually choose low continuous drive (rather than high) so as to prevent making three or four images when I want to make just one. Why use valuable CF card storage and have to spend more time deleting when one good original equals all the good originals that you will ever need?

 

 

Lastly, yes, my Canon contract does forbid me from using 35mm equipment made by other manufacturers, but in no way does Canon (contractually or otherwise) influence my choice of camera bodies or lenses, nor do they have any control (contractually or otherwise) over what I say or do.

 

Best and love and great picture-making to all, Artie

Well, well. How nice to see the boys having fun. Edward Caliguri and Robert Kennedy in particular should be ashamed of what they have written. Neither of them know me. Yes, I am a Canon contract photographer and have been for about 7 years. My business has grossed more than $1,000,000 in the past 3+ years. Of that amount, surely no more than 5% of the gross was generated by Canon. So much for my "fat contract." I receive no free equipment from Canon. How have I achieved such amazing success? By going out and making pictures that please me. I have never given a rat's ass about what the market "wants" or given a rat's ass about what equipment other photographers buy or use. I have never been pressured by Canon to use a single piece of equipment and have and will continue to evaluate all the equipment that crosses my path honestly. I have written and said the following words often, "The Nikon F-5 has the finest meter (RGB Color Matrix) for color slide film of any camera ever manufactured." I shall not waste my time here arguing with all those who know what I do and why without knowing me at all, but those who are interested in learning what I am doing and why are invited to visit www.birdsasart.com and signing up for our free BIRDS AS ART On-Line Bulletins. I have switched to digital because it is fun. At this point I have no clue as to how or where to market my new digital images. Two notes to Shun. #1: My understanding is that files from the 1Ds (which I have purchased for my trip to Africa), when converted to 16-bit (whatever that means???), yield a file of approximately 62 mb. #2: Unlike the two folks mentioned above, I have not insulted anyone here nor have I impugned their character, so please resist the urge to delete my post or close this thread as you have always done in the past when I comment on such matters.

Best and great picture making to all, Artie

Hi Gang,

 

I am trying to plan a Nature Photography Weekend (Saturday Seminar

plus some In-The-Field Workshops) in Atlanta during the fall of

2000. Does anyone know of any photography groups in Atlanta? Do any

of these groups specialize in nature?

 

I would appreciate any contact info that you have, or any suggestions

that might help me out.

 

In addition, I am trying to learn of any locations that might provied

a good number of nature photography opptortunities near Atlanta in

the fall. Best and thanks, Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Jeez, it is amazing how point of view can influence opinions. On the back cover of the book it states, ""250 full color photographs with descriptions of how you can take each one." I can guarantee that that was written by the publishers (AAA) and that Tim was laughing his head off when he read it. And the best part here is that half of the posters think that it is true. What a joke. Most of the gorgeous colors in Tim's photographs are a result of his getting up at 0-dark hundred and getting in place well before dawn to take advantage of (potentially) spectacular lighting conditions. While Tim is a dear friend, I will admit that some of his digital escapades turn me off a bit. But do know that he is a remarkably talented photographer who has an incredible eye and works harder than any other photographer working without an assistant that I know of. Nearly all of the scenics are incredibly beautiful, as are most of the mammals. The flowers and other close-ups are superb. And the book is filled with solid information. I have rarely seen so many sour grapes in one place (as I have on this page of postings). If you have never seen the pink-purple of an eastern sky on a clear morning, try getting up early once in a while. And, while you are at it, give the man the respect that he deserves. Best, Arthur Morris

Jeez, it is ironic that the original thread, which contained numerous glowing responses, gets deleted (because of the actions of one person)and is now replaced by the mostly lukewarm comments above. My objections to spot-metering for birds and much wildlife photography are outlined concisely in "The Art of Bird Photography" so I shall not repeat them here. Let's look at the "brilliant white bird" problem above. With nearly all evaluative meters (including the vaunted Nikon f-5's RGB Color Matrix Metering), getting the correct exposure for a brilliant white subject, medium to 3/4 of the frame in full sun (and including head and shoulder's portraits), with middle or middle-dark backgrounds, getting the right exposure is simply a matter of dialing in -1/3 or -1/2 stop of exposure compensation. This simple system works perfectly 99% of the time. There is no "guessing" involved. In soft light, or on cloudy days, you use the evaluative meter reading at zero. Fast, simple, and accurate.

Greg Downing states above, "but also feel that it is important to have a well rounded knowledge of exposure theory using various methods and tools." Here he is paraphrasing from "The Art of Bird Photography" (so obviously I agree completely...) Greg does not receive a cent from the sales of the pocket guide. If you ask him, he will tell you that he has learned 99% of what he knows about bird photography from me. And he has worked very hard and is extremely talented. In spite of it's title, the pocket guide is recommended more as a study guide than as something to use "in the field." BTW, I have always recommended setting the exposure manually in situations where the background is changing constantly but the light falling on the subject is the same. The best example here would be a gull on a rock with occasional breaking waves in the background...

 

If all those spot-metering fans wish to keep their heads in the sand and waste time spot metering, adding light, and then setting both the aperture and the shutter speed manually, that is more than fine with me.

 

Best and great picture making to all, Arthur Morris

Hi David, If you like birds, get the 400mm f/5.6. Use a tripod. Use Provia F-100 pushed one or two stops. See lots more info on the two lenses on my web site; www.birdsasart.com (see the FAQs).

Best, Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

PS: The 400 is the world's best flight lens...

Moose Peterson has made a career of working with wildlife researchers. He did an article in a BT Journal that detailed his strategies for getting invited. Check out his web site and see what you can find. Best, Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

ps: If it works in North America, it most likely would work in Africa too...

To Sean, Veteran bird photographer Ron Austing has been stacking Nikon TCs with great success (mostly on his 400 2.8) for years. The pin on the front of the 1.4X that prevents coupling the TCs can be removed with a dremel tool. For more detailed info, you can contact Ron at ronausting@aol.com (I am not positive that this address is still good...) To Nobby Nobbs, I am confused as to why you would be shocked and horrified to see an image made with stacked tele-converters published... Please explain. Why would one feel that it is a sacrilege to make razor sharp photographs with today's incredible optics and perfect technique?

Best, Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Hi Paul, Your problem is that you ran into a group of rude birders. If you had been within hearing range of them as the birds flew, you surely would have heard them say, "That damned photographer scared all the birds." As for photographing at migrant landbird hotspots, I have found in many cases that the birds react very little if at all to human observers. In addition, at Point Pelee the birders and photographers not only get along great for the most part, but the groups actually help each other out quite a bit. A photographer might call out, "There's a mourning over here skulking around behind the cherry tree." A few moments later some birders might alert you to the fact that an exhausted cuckoo is sitting dead-still on a perfect perch... All who commented here might enjoy trying to find the article that I did for Bird Watcher's Digest about ten years ago that dealt with the relationship between birders and photographers and the field ethics and courtesies involved. Kevin Karlson wrote a similar piece in a recent issue of WildBird.

Best, Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Darrill, Hope that I am not too late. As long as you are choosing between the Canon 500mm and 600mm f/4 IS lenses, the correct lens for you is the 5 IS. It is lighter, it is less expensive, it focuses closer, it travels better, you do just some bird photography, and this lens produces razor sharp images at 1000mm with 1/2-way decent technique. (BTW, my back is fine, I am just getting old and lazy, but I do use the 600mm about half the time, esp. when I don't have too far to walk.) Here is an excerpt from a recent BIRDS AS ART Bulletin: CONFESSIONS

 

Though some may find it hard to believe, I am leaving the work horse 600mm f/4L IS lens at home for my AZ/CA trip and packing the 500mm f/4 L IS lens. And, as if that is not enough, I am bringing the Gitzo Carbon Fiber 1325 and leaving the heavier CF 1548 at home. Am I getting older? Sure I am . And so are you. As I have used the 500mm IS more and more in recent months, I have grown to love its relatively light weight and the razor sharp images that it produces routinely. And last but not least, I must publicly admit that I am taking 55 rolls of Provia F 100 and "only" 50 rolls of my beloved Velvia; speed is addictive!

 

I will be photographing hawks with Ned Harris in a valley south of Tucson for a few days, and then heading on to San Diego to see my Mom and lead the sold out Southern California IPT. I just can never get enough of those breeding plumage Brown Pelicans on the cliffs of LaJolla.

 

All are invited to receive our free opn-line Bulletins; e-mail birdsasart@att.net to request same.

 

Best and great picture making to all, Arhtur Morris/www.birdsasart.com

Pete is very correct on all counts. Note: the big deal with the neoprene covers is that they protect the lenses from dings and scratches and whacks and increase the resale value tremendously. ANd, it is true that the finish on Nikon lenses is far more resistant to scratches, etc. It is my belief that camo is pretty much of a waste for the bird photography that I do. I simply move slowly, stay low, and take great care not to swing a tripod-mounted lens off of my shoulder when I am close to a bird...

Best, Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART www.birdsasart.com

Hello, Here are my current thoughts: Gitzo CF 1325 fine with 500 IS or with 600 IS even with 2X especially when old, lazy photographer (like me) is traveling by air... (Perfect sharpness technique a big plus though.) For old 600 or Nikon 600: #1" CF 1548. #2: Old Gitzo 410, new equivalent, or 15XX series. I still don't use a cable release--ever. Image in book made with cable release was with stacked TCs on a windless day...

Best and great picture making to all.

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART www.birdsasart.com<div></div>

Almost a year later I note with great sadness that all of my remarks have been deleted from this thread. I find it extremely hard to believe that all of my (rather lengthy) comments were "persaonl attachks." Perhaps this is intended to serve as punishment by the "administrators" of this site; when I used to visit regularly and contribute often, I would often complain about personal attacks directed at me. None of the attacks would ever be removed until I defended myself... So much for freedom of speech.

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Thanks, Lee, for your kind words.

And best, Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

The Canon EF 400m f/5.6L is still the world's premier lens for handheld flight photography. Why? It is lighter in weight and initial AF acquisiton is faster (than with the 1-4 IS zoom). Why? Because of the longer minimum focusing distance! See the FAQs and archived Bulletins at www.birdsasart.com for much more on these and other Canon lenses as well as flight photography techniques.

Best and great picture-making to all,

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Kudos to Chuck Green for pointing out that the chemicals used to develop film are a big environmental problem. And heck, it's not like any of the posters do not own or drive cars......

Best and great picture making, Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Almost 1 1/2 years later, I offer my feelings. Years ago, when I saw a great natural history image in an editorial setting, my reaction would be, "Wow! That's amazing." Today, my reaction is. "Is it real?" To me that is very sad. Honesty in captioning images AND then honesty in captioning the images by the editors of natural history publications is the only way to make me happy again, but that seems a remotely impossible dream.

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Hi Scott, Here's the scoop: I currently have a Kirk clamp on my Wimberley,and have had itfor many years. Wimberley used to get the clamps from Kirk. Really Right Stuff has always offered a quality clamp for the Wimberley, but it required that a second hole be drilled to prevent the clamp from rotating as there was only ONE bolt. The Kirk has two bolts. Things changed last FEB when I personally saw a brand new,right-out-of-the box Kirk clamp FAIL totally. The hole that accepts the screw that tightens the jaws stripped. Fortunately, John DiGorgio's brand new 600 IS did NOT hit the ground. After relaying this tidbit to David and Clay Wimberley, they decided to design and manufacture there own clamp which is now available. (I do not know which clamp Rue is selling, but it almost is surely one of the above. Just for the record books, I have a new Wimberley clamp of my own but have not replaced my Kirk clamp mostly because I am too lazy and my Kirk clamp has served me well for years. But I do plan on switching as at times recently I have had trouble loosening the jaws thatI had only hand-tightened previously. Please note that BIRDS AS ART is now a Wimberley dealer. Units are available with the Wimberley clamp for $571.50, or without for $471.50. There would be extra shipping charges to Cananda. At this moment we have two in stock. Best of luck whatever you decide. And great picture making. Arthur Morris

Not to take anything from my friend John Costello, but when I told world about the importance (better make that the necessity) of using large rubber washers to prevent damaging the housing of Arca-Swiss B-1s when used with big lenses, I explained that folks could get them for a buck each at the local plumbing store but offered them for $5.00/pair for the lazy among us.

Best and great picture making,

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART.

P.S. NYC area photographers plese note that I am conducting two "Art of Nature Photography" full day seminars late this summer. Visit www.birdsasart.com for details.

Was reading through lots of recent posts tonight. Having just returned from Alaska, I tried to resist butting in, but in this case I simply could not. Two items:

1- Bird photographer and good friend, Tom Vezo, who does a very good job of keping bread off of my table, has been shooting two systems for years with obviously great success. He owns a couple of F-5s and shoots primarily with the 600mm AFS and TCs. Many years ago, after briefly trying out my toy lens, he purchased the Canon 400mm f/5.6L lens (and an A2 body) and has sold hundreds of the excellent flight shots that he has made (and continues to make) with this lens. About two years ago he added the 300 f/4 IS lens and returned from a Galapagos trip stating that he made almost all of the trip images with this lens. Shooting flight with Canon hand-holdable telephotos on a sunny day is as close to point and shoot photography as you can get as most exposures (with Evaluative Metering) will be perfect at zero (or +1/3 or 1/2).

2-Despite the introduction of the two handholdable IS lenses, the 400mm f/5.6L lens remains the world's premier lens for phoptographing birds in flight. Period. It is sharper and far lighter than the 100-400mm IS Zooo lens, and has (obviously) greater reach than either of the Canon 3000mm f/4s. And most folks do not realize that when photographing birds in flight on sunny days, IS cuts down on the speed of intial AF acquisition and is best turned OFF! Therefore, there is no advantage to using an IS lens for flight photography on sunny days (where you will be using shutter speeds in excess of 1/500 sec at f/5.6 with 100 speed film.

For additional INFO, visit my web site at www.birdsasart.com. New York City area photographers please note that I will be doing two "Art of Nature Photography" Full Day Seminars in late summer 2000. See web site for details. Best and great picture making to all.

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

First off, Daniel Taylor's comments are so far off base that he is not even in the ballpark. He states "the new systems were not designed for tripod use." That statement is simply untrue. I am no technical expert, but do know that the IS 1 Mode has two modes, the second of which is engaged when the system senses a lack of vibration from the lens. My theory, however, is that when shooting at extreme focal lenghts: 1000mm, 1200mm, 1400mm, 1680mm, and beyond, that there will always be lens vibration. And the IS successfully dampens these vibrations even at slow shutter speeds. I use my 600mm f/4 IS lens nearly every day, and routinely make sharp images with the 2X teleconverter (1200mm focal lenght) at slow shutter speeds. When Daniel says, "we need to agree that on a perfect tripod with no vibrational components that IS effectively does nothing," he is ignoring both reality and a factor called lens shake. Long lenses, especially when used with one or more tele-converters, shake, even on windless days. And when the photogrpher pushes the shutter button, additional vibrations are introduced. (Please do not tell me about using mirror lock or a cable release for wildlife, especially wildlife that is moving.) Daniel is welcome to come on down to my home in Indian Lake Estates, FL with his loupe and see the originals for himself. I am sorry Daniel, but the proof is in the pudding (and the pudding tastes the same whether or not one is a Canon contract photographer or has spent 7-9 grand on a big IS lens.)

 

That said, here is my opinion on the tripod issue. For 600mm f/4 and 500mm f/4 lens, it is my firm belief that only the Gitzo CF 1548 will allow the photographer to push the sharpness envelope as far as possible. For those who travel a lot and wish to save a few bucks, I would recommend only the CF 1325 as an option. I feel strongly that the 1348 and 49s are just too, too flimsy for use with even the 300mm f/2.8s. Many folks who use the 1348 series Gitzos "cheat" a bit by never extending the lower leg section which is very, very thin, about 1/2 inch diamter. (Compare that with the 1325 with a lower leg diameter of more than 1 inch.)

 

Please note that anyone who chooses a 1348 or 49 for a 600 f/4 is totally nuts. And, though George Lepp is a good friend and has my great respect, I would NOT recommend a 1348 or 49 for the 500 f/4s or even for the 300/2.8s. Spend a few more bucks and buy at least the 1325 for those lenses.

 

It is important to realize that while IS technology will help photographers using sloppy technique to make sharper images in some cases, photographers using perfect sharpness techniques will always be able to make sharper images at longer focal lengths and with slower shutter speeds.

 

As for the risk of having the lens flop over and topple the tripod, note that I have gone full time to the Wimberley head. And I doubt that a 500 f/4 on an Arca Swiss B-1 head atop of 1325 would ever hit the ground provided that the tripod's legs were splayed normally.

 

Best and great picture making to all. Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART.

The Flash Extender offered by Rue, Kirk, and Morris is indeed the same product. The larger model, the FX-2 is correct for the Nikon SB 25 and SB 26 and the Canon 540 EZ. (You can find measuring instrcutions for your flash at birdsasart.com) If you own an FX-1, and wish to use it on a larger flash, simply use a brand new single-edge razor blade to cut off the bottom flange on each side arm. Be sure that you cut off the BOTTOM FLANGE on each side. Then, simply slide the side arms into the elastic band. The side arms WILL NOT flop around; the unit will stay firmly in place. (Flopping around all over the place is a feature of another similar though larger and clunkier flash extender.)

Just for the record books, Kirk sells the unit for $39.95 plus $6.50 shipping, Rue sells it for $36.95 plus $7.50 shipping. BIRDS AS ART sells it for $35.50 plus $3.00 shipping. No wonder I have sold more than 1000 Better Beamers during the past two years.

Best and great picture making, Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART