Patience, Persistence, and Timing

It wasn’t until this past year due to the pandemic that I became involved and in love with photography. I lost my job of four years and was trying to find ways to lift my spirits and those around me. Photography was always in the back of my mind because we constantly take pictures even with our eyes. I think what convinced me to take pictures was remembering my older brothers who have been invested in photography for years. They always carried a camera on our nature walks and sometimes even into rural or city dwellings. You just never know when you might come across something or someone worth photographing. One could say this was instilled in me long ago and was just waiting to hatch at the right time. The first animal I began photographing was the Red Shoulder Hawk nest in our apartment complex. Boy, it was a delight seeing those babies with their down feathers, watching them grow, and fledge the nest as adults. It was one of the brightest parts of the pandemic for me. After that I became addicted to taking pictures of various woodland creatures and I made it a habit to carry my camera just like my older brothers.

Most days I take my walks about mid-morning; I drink in the sun’s rays, and it gives me comfort to begin my day. This is a time of quiet solitude and observation. Also, it is a time for imagination and being present with every moment. I search with my binocular eyes, keenly ready to witness natures purest form. My heart has wings ready for flight and with each contracting beat it's ready for a new adventure. Oscillating eyes search and my ears are attuned for the marking of bird sounds. I wait patiently, immobile, and much like Diane Fossey watching the mountain gorillas. If you make any sudden movements your moment could be lost. This is a must for capturing most birds. They can be as restless as the Eastern Blue Bird or calm, at ease, and ready for its next meal much like the Red Shoulder Hawk.

I have discovered that it is best to pick familiar spots and if you're lucky you will find a treasure trove within the bird world. Again, you must be as statuesque as a gargoyle. I have found it; a field of evenly spaced trees for many birds to delve into at a moment’s notice. I let my eyes wander from grass to tree trunk, to tree limbs, and way up into the sky. Occasionally, I'll see something peripherally and that will gain my attention. Other movements are by chance; I look up and to my glory see the cutest, bubbling bird balancing on a gentle swaying branch. These perfectly timed moments fill me with incandescent joy. In some respects the simplest forms of happiness are in the everyday through chance. The rarity, the precision, and the consistency of persistence are my founding beliefs in capturing nature or pursuing any field.

One of the many reasons I choose to take pictures of nature and animals is because of their lack of self consciousness. If you try to take photos of people, they either pose in an unnatural way or they become quite agitated and ask you not to take pictures of them. Nature and animals do not care, they live in the moment, and if they don’t think you are a threat such as your next meal, they will gladly go about their business. I love the tender and hilarious moments of capturing a squirrel devouring its food in a state of sublime happiness. The delicate care of a bird cleaning it’s plumes or singing its heart out to woe a beloved. It’s what makes life so grand! Time and time again I am never disappointed when I am involved in nature. It can be one of the best healing medicines for the mind and the body. We all can learn something when we are out in nature just remember to keep your devices silent and out of sight because those little interruptions will ruin the whole moment and scare off your muse.

How I edit my photos is rather simple, I do not do much to take away from the natural beauty of my muse. What we see is often more beautiful than any modification can ever correct or enhance it; what we want to see is raw and real beauty. Sometimes I will adjust the lighting or the saturation of the photo by small amounts to make different features pop. Other times, I may crop the outer bits that are unnecessary to the piece to draw attention to my focal point. I think the less you edit a photo, the more you get out of the moment captured. There is art in simplicity and there can also be an art to editing photos to give them some edge, polish, or exaggeration. I think you must really be in tuned with the subject to make the proper judgement calls. It is my greatest hope that you will enjoy my finished work.