Eye Contact with Loon
This summer at the lake house was a bit unusual in that we saw and heard fewer loons than we normally do.
Loons are a bit odd. They are elusive yet they can be very playful around humans when they want to be but only when they don't feel threatened. They can be territorial yet they can congregate in groups of loons at times. For much of our time at the lake house this year and much to our disappointment, the loons tended to be elusive and quiet.
One particular evening, however, a pair of loons approached the house... they paddled back and forth in front of the house about 200 feet from shore. They weren't bobbing and diving for food nor did they seem to be in any hurry to be anywhere. They just sort of slowly paddled back and forth as I quickly, but quietly, headed to our deckside dock with a camera in hand. For the most part, they ignored me as I laid across our dock shooting photos of them.
It was getting darker and darker by the second... it was dusk on this mountain lake and things get dark very quickly as the sun sets behind the mountains. Darkness and wildlife photography aren't a good mix so I was anxious to get a few good shots in the remaining daylight I had left. The light, however, was already dark enough to be a problem for my older cameras... I would have to do my best to get some crisp shots.
Suddenly, one of the loons stopped paddling and just stared at me... I didn't move... I stayed as still and as quiet as possible... I even stopped shooting photos. I didn't want to frighten off this pair of loons. We seemed locked in this staring contest... my ribs were beginning to hurt from lying across the hard dock... my neck was getting stiff from bending my head upward to see through my viewfinder... I waited for one good shot with no clutter in the background... as we were looking directly at each other, I captured a nice clean shot.
Although this pair of loons was fairly close at only about 200 yards away, I felt like I was a mile away. My long 600mm lens was difficult to keep steady. If I moved the lens just a quarter of an inch, the loons were no longer in my viewfinder. Tiny movements made me lose my subjects. My breathing affected lens movement... the pain in my ribs from lying across the dock was affecting lens movement... the cramps I was beginning to feel in my neck were affecting lens movement... I even had flies and mosquitoes munching on me which I had to ignore (something which I do not enjoy about wildlife photography).
Capturing crisp photos of loons is difficult. It is even more difficult to capture crisp photos of loons as nightfall envelops the lake. Capturing eye contact with a loon is a rarity!
Loons are a bit odd. They are elusive yet they can be very playful around humans when they want to be but only when they don't feel threatened. They can be territorial yet they can congregate in groups of loons at times. For much of our time at the lake house this year and much to our disappointment, the loons tended to be elusive and quiet.
One particular evening, however, a pair of loons approached the house... they paddled back and forth in front of the house about 200 feet from shore. They weren't bobbing and diving for food nor did they seem to be in any hurry to be anywhere. They just sort of slowly paddled back and forth as I quickly, but quietly, headed to our deckside dock with a camera in hand. For the most part, they ignored me as I laid across our dock shooting photos of them.
It was getting darker and darker by the second... it was dusk on this mountain lake and things get dark very quickly as the sun sets behind the mountains. Darkness and wildlife photography aren't a good mix so I was anxious to get a few good shots in the remaining daylight I had left. The light, however, was already dark enough to be a problem for my older cameras... I would have to do my best to get some crisp shots.
Suddenly, one of the loons stopped paddling and just stared at me... I didn't move... I stayed as still and as quiet as possible... I even stopped shooting photos. I didn't want to frighten off this pair of loons. We seemed locked in this staring contest... my ribs were beginning to hurt from lying across the hard dock... my neck was getting stiff from bending my head upward to see through my viewfinder... I waited for one good shot with no clutter in the background... as we were looking directly at each other, I captured a nice clean shot.
Although this pair of loons was fairly close at only about 200 yards away, I felt like I was a mile away. My long 600mm lens was difficult to keep steady. If I moved the lens just a quarter of an inch, the loons were no longer in my viewfinder. Tiny movements made me lose my subjects. My breathing affected lens movement... the pain in my ribs from lying across the dock was affecting lens movement... the cramps I was beginning to feel in my neck were affecting lens movement... I even had flies and mosquitoes munching on me which I had to ignore (something which I do not enjoy about wildlife photography).
Capturing crisp photos of loons is difficult. It is even more difficult to capture crisp photos of loons as nightfall envelops the lake. Capturing eye contact with a loon is a rarity!
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