Anyone who is in a relationship or who has children knows about ‘The LOOK!’ Some of us get it more often than others because, well, we are who we are!

The LOOK is given to say many things, depending on the context and situation, of course. Sometimes, The LOOK conveys disapproval, amazement, or just annoyance. The LOOK rarely implies any kind of approval so when one gets The LOOK, one knows they have generally erred in some way.

My Eagle Season began on October 23, 2023, when I was out and made my first Eagle pictures. Since then, I have ventured out 37 times and have made more than 9,800 image files. My season is winding down and I’ll only get out a few more times. In a couple weeks, I transition to railroad and steam locomotive photography. Stay tuned for that!

I’ve shared my images with friends and on Facebook. One of my friends asked me if I ever made a bad picture. I chuckled before responding to the question. Think about it, I have captured more than 9,800 pictures of Eagles this year and I’ve shared a few dozen. Like most photographers, I don’t share the bad pictures. And I have to thank the multiple software manufacturers whose software makes many of my images sharable.

Light is a challenge, particularly with adult Bald Eagles (see my recent blog about those challenges). Even with modern autofocus systems, focus is always a challenge especially with wildlife. They hide in the trees behind the branches. They move unexpectedly. They’re often really far away (I use lenses with long focal lengths to make subjects bigger on the sensor!). And while it would be perfect to always use a tripod to minimize camera shake, that’s not always practical (subjects often leave before one can get a tripod set up!). Of course, there’s always photographer error in camera settings and position to take the picture.

On that note, when you are buying a picture and lamenting the price, remember that you are not simply buying a print. You’re buying a photographer’s time and travel in the field, professional knowledge in taking a picture, time to develop the picture either in a darkroom or on a computer, and finally there’s a the print process.

With everything that a photographer has to know, the travel, cold mornings and nights, hot days, etc., one could wonder why people even do it. It’s because photographers go amazing places and see amazing things, recording those places and things for people who may not have the opportunity to go there and see them. Photographers love what they do and, even when it’s cold or hot or they’re tired, they enjoy their craft! Okay, end of rant!

It’s time to see ‘The LOOK’ from the Eagles this year. Enjoy – PHOTOROGR