Wildlife

I have always been fascinated by nature photography, but have been a dismal failure at it in the past. There are two requirements that have held me back before now: time and gear. The biggest constraint was time. Now I have a lot more of it than I used to. Also, as an aging retired person, it is clear that I need to get outside more and to keep exercising. Wildlife photography was always a genre where gear did matter. However in terms of cost, adequate gear is comparatively less expensive than taking cruises and adventure travel excursions where others show you wildlife. Relatively speaking, camera gear for wildlife has always been bulky and very heavy. This is changing rapidly right now with more sensitive cameras and new telephoto lens designs.

My primary photographic goal is to capture the normal behavior of normal animals, mostly in the wild. Of course I want any photographic images I make to be artistically competent. In fact, I am not trying to make scientifically accurate images for study. There are many really good photographers who already do that. I am also not trying to collect a big database of different bird species. Many of my favorite images are of quite common animals whose detailed behavior can be astonishing or delightful. Many of the most successful, and therefore common, animals are the ones who are most adept at what they do. For example, the flying abilities of a seagull are spectacular.

Osprey are common and favorite sights in New England. A bit like the rarer bald eagles but smaller and (I think) fiercer, they eat mostly fish. They summer in coastal waters of New England where they raise families.