I headed for the beach Friday because I plan on heading to Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon next week, and I didn’t want to completely miss the Spring migration. Unfortunately, the sunshine in Tacoma when I left was the only sunshine I saw.
As a photographer, I’m all too aware that the bright sunshine can make a mediocre picture a good one and a good picture a great one, but if you live in the Pacific Northwest you learn to appreciate the subtle shades of grey that dominate here.
In other words, this gray picture of a gray and white Willet resonates with me in ways it might not to viewers from sunnier parts of the country,
and the same can be said for this shot of a Brown Pelican lumbering just above the waves like some ancient ship.
Even the birds I got close enough to that I would have been able to capture their native colors were black and white, like this Pigeon Guillemot.
At first I was frustrated with the shots of this bird because they all looked fuzzy, but when I looked closely I could see several drops of water in sharp detail. Apparently there’s something about the bird’s plumage that make it appear dull and fuzzy.
My main goal on the trip was to see loons, a bird I rarely see locally. They were everywhere, but usually so far out that even a 1000mm (a 500mm lens with a doubler) lens couldn’t get a decent shot. I spent nearly two hours in Westport trying to get close to one and was finally rewarded with this shot, so close I had a hard time getting it in the frame.
Rain or not, I would have been thrilled with the day if I hadn’t managed to get a single shot because I just love seeing loons, particularly one so close I could have reached out and touched it if I’d wanted to.