Upset at various things I had left the office and headed to a nearby lake to have my lunch. In the car was my new camera which I grabbed thinking it was a good opportunity to practice using it. I started walking toward the lake and took the lens cap off. As I did I spotted a large bird in the sky heading my way. I pointed the camera and clicked. There was no time to adjust settings and check exposure. The bird passed overhead and away until it was out of sight. I looked at the screen of the camera…………it was not a bird I had ever seen before. It was a very strange bird and I was mesmerized. I forgot about lunch (extremely unusual behavior for me), jumped in the car and headed straight to the office so I could load the photos onto my computer.
Magically I had jagged perfect settings and had some beautiful photos of a strangely magnificent beast ……...Google………it was a Spoonbill, a yellow billed spoonbill, in flight against a dramatic cloudy sky, perfectly exposed and sharp. I gave up lunch and returned to the lake the next day, and the day after that, and actually everyday for the next few weeks............ but I have never seen a spoonbill at the lake since. Something happened that day. I am unsure exactly what, but the spoonbill encounter is etched in my mind and seems to mark some kind of shift.
I began to pay a lot of attention to birds and since then have taken thousands of photos, mostly of birds in flight. My spoonbill photos were truly beginner’s luck. To get a beautiful photo, so many things have to line up and come together perfectly, in 1/2500 of a second or less. You have to be there, involved in the moment and focused on exactly the right place at the right time. The direction and quality of light has to be beautiful, the camera has to work, the lens has to focus and your hand must be steady and predictive. A sense of movement and life must talk through the image. Beautiful photos are rare and have become an addictive pursuit.
I will never forget that spoonbill. Since then I have seen others, but that one creature splintered my thoughts and opened a window in my mind. It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I am reminded of a quote from Lewis Carroll;
“Do you know, I always thought unicorns were fabulous monsters, too? I never saw one alive before!" Well, now that we have seen each other, " said the unicorn, "if you believe in me, I'll believe in you."
― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland And Through The Looking Glass
