I think amateur photographers are often the biggest fans of great photographs because they, more than anyone else, know what dedication it takes to produce those great photographs. Dedication + Luck. And you have to be dedicated to your art to get lucky. Some people are put off by the high prices the best photographers demand, but if you consider the number of hours they spent learning their craft and the number of hours spent without getting a great shot, you wouldn’t begrudge them their fees —though, if you’re like me, you’re probably not going to have the money to buy those kinds of works because you spent all your ready cash on photo equipment.
Bird photography, like fishing, is definitely variable. I’ve gotten a lot of great shots at both Theler Wetlands and Port Orchard marina, but that certainly wasn’t the case on my last visit.
Birding was extremely slow except for the Canada Geese which were loud and ever-present. I don’t take many pictures of them anymore except when they first have goslings, but some days I’m desperate enough to take a shot of them flying.
The most interesting bird of the day was this Greater White-Fronted Goose, which is uncommon at Theler.
The best “got-away” shot of the day was this shot of a Red Shafted Flicker,
but it was quite dark when I took the shot and badly underexposed because it required a high shutter speed to capture it in flight.
The sun started to emerge when I got to Port Orchard, but that’s not particularly helpful when the sun is directly behind your subject.
Just as I avoid taking shots of Canada Geese, I also avoid taking shots of Great Blue Herons. However, I could’t resist taking a shot of this one sitting on the Marina roof. Not only is it a beautiful heron, the unusual angle makes the shot for me.
I think I’ve mastered the Dedication part, at least judging from the number of photos I have on my hard drive, but it may take me awhile to master the Luck part.