I hadn’t meant to have my camera on me this day.
Lily and I went to deliver Meals on Wheels and I grabbed my camera bag on the way out the door. There’s a small part of me that would love to photograph a couple of the people we deliver meals to but I don’t have the confidence to ask and I’m not even sure that would be appropriate.
Anyway, I brought my camera along without thinking much about it until we witnessed a large group of eagles at the waterfront while driving home. They’d come to be fed by another photographer hoping to snap some photos. I asked if I could crash his party…
This is a sight we see from time to time; the eagles flying around almost like noisy seagulls fighting over crumbs. Although, it’s kind of intense when they are eagles with wingspans of six or eight feet flying around and swooping not far overhead.
I went home with more than 750 photos! Ack. Fun to take but a bit overwhelming to go through. What I noticed when flipping through the photos the first time was that my photos kept getting better and better as the frenzy went on! I tried different settings and it was clear that with each adjustment I was learning. Yay!
It seems the photo that most photographers want to get of the eagles is of them about to grab and then actually taking the bits of thrown fish out of the water. This was incredibly difficult for me to do. First figuring out which of the fifteen plus eagles was going for the fish and then tracking them with my old, slow telophoto lens. I had a lot of failures when it came to this shot!
I was able to narrow the final pictures down to just over a hundred and I’m proud and happy to share some of those with you! Some of these photos will show you a series of shots if you click on them or you can click to see some bigger.
I don’t ever want to take for granted our incredible access to bald eagles here in Prince Rupert.
Wow! Awesome!
Amazing shots !
Wow! They are fantastic!
Wow there are some INCREDIBLE shots there. I DO take the eagles for granted, but shouldn’t! Amazing.
WOW..Beautiful shots
Thank you so much, everyone! xx
Annie! These are fabulous! We are lucky to have all these gorgeous eagles around, but then you have the talent to capture them like this.
annie, these are just amazing photos! you SHOULD be proud!! and i can well imagine 750 shots – i just spent a few days with a newish baby and kept thinking that the next shot was going to be “the one”!! click click click…and your new look on your blog is so clear and clean and open – i really like it!
Thank you!
Debra- you have me laughing! That is exactly the way of it with me too. I can’t stop clicking and I’ll think of an adjustment to make on my camera and take a few more.
Everybody’s saying wow, and I have to agree. These are fabulous.
your photos speak of learning, trying things, going after what you love, success, and fearlessness! i am inspired by your gift for thinking through the shots on your feet so well! they are incredible, and one day i hope to be somewhere like that with you and shoot together again. i always come away learning a few new tricks. i enjoyed reading this and love how you went for it and crashed the photographer’s party! do you know him/her well enough to have seen any of their shots? did they offer advice or did you for them? i always see photographers at the bird sanctuary and sometimes want to ask them how they do things, but i get so shy and never ask! there can be some pretty skookum gear out there!
xoxo
~erin
Thank you!
Erin- I didn’t know the photographer but I’ve been curious about him since that day. I looked a little on flickr to see if he might be on there, but no luck. He didn’t mind my being there, especially after I put my dogs in the truck, but we didn’t talk at all. He went lower on the rocks than where I was, so I wonder about the shots he got.
There was another photographer couple there from out of town. I shot a portrait of the one woman but have no where to send it. Good experience for me- I actually asked her if I could take her photo, in which she gave me permission. I need to do that more often. Maybe the next time you’re at the bird sanctuary, someone will smile and say hi giving you the opportunity to ask if they have any special tips?
wow! seriously, i don’t want to ever take eagles for granted around here – i am always awed and amazed by them, and i hope that never changes. looks like you got some excellent shots.
How incredible! These really seem to capture the moment.
This series really showcases how much your skill has grown in the last few years. I think you’ve always had an eye for beauty and you can see that in the composition of your early shots. You seemed a natural in the technical department as well, but you really can see here just how much you’ve learned. It’s inspiring!
In awe. Brought me to tears. I miss seeing those majestic creatures. Yes, do not take it for granted.
Wow, these are so amazing.
Thank you so much, everyone! I was feeling pretty proud!