A couple of different GBH perspectives

I'm in the middle of working on a wildlife presentation I plan to give in a couple of months to a camera club in my area.

I've taken a couple of passes at picking images, and well I've got a lot at the moment, just over 100. I'm not sure how long I'm expected to present, but I'm guessing it's around an hour or so. What I want to convey in the presentation is not camera technique, or just lucky snapshots.

Wildlife photography is about not disturbing the subject, and showing off a moment, which might just as well never been seen and still taken place. It's hard to find a balance between getting close enough for the image you'd like to take, and not causing a response in the animal/subject, ie witnessing a response to the photographer vs. just natural scene.

Read on for a couple of photos and quick stories related to this.



GBH close


The above image was a unique encounter. The bird was hunting in a small patch of water (ditch) along the Wildlife Drive of Blackwater NWR in Maryland. I suspect he was a juvenile, and not among the strongest. During a couple of passes along this spot, I photographed him from the car, and then later from outside on the road, not very far. What I think this photo and encounter shows is that not all animals behave the same, and sometimes you can get lucky.

Coming Towards me


This image pleases me on a few of levels. First, it was an overcast day, and I probably thought the light wasn't great. But it worked well. Second, the bird is flying from one fishing spot to another, as a result of competition from a second bird. And he's coming towards me, which is not something you get often with a Great Blue Heron... And lastly, the reflection and pose grab me as behavior and photographic magic that can't be planned for.

-Jon

Oh and here's a bonus video of red fox images, in case you missed it. It's one of my favorite image-montages....

A couple of different GBH perspectives