When things just click…

…ever have one of those moments where everything just seems to come together or when something just clicks? We all have those moments of profound certainty. For most photographers these moments are rare and coveted especially when it concerns wildlife photography. The first time I experienced this as a photographer was actually during my first visit to Vancouver Island in June of 2009. I was in Telegraph Cove walking along the boardwalk. I was very excited to notice some tourists watching an Eagle sitting on a perch in the cove. Locals had fed fish scraps to this Eagle regularly so it was fairly habituated but at the same time very aware of human presence. More than once it raised its wings to fly away due to the commotion but for some unknown reason it did not. The angles and perspectives from the boardwalk didn’t make for a good composition. It was then that I decided that I needed to get into the water and closer to the bird. I did just that and spent the better part of 45 minutes allowing the Eagle to become comfortable with my presence. Contrary to popular belief an Eagle cannot turn its head 360 degrees but, with the help of its fourteen vertebrae in the neck, it can turn its head up to an arc of 270 degrees. Each time it would look away from me I would shuffle through the water just a little bit closer until I was almost waist deep and essentially right underneath the Eagle. It looked directly at me and at that exact moment I pressed the shutter. I knew what I had created was special and to this day it remains one of my favorite images. The image has sold numerous times and is displayed in homes and offices all across North America and Europe. The experience and the image inspired me to keep finding those moments when things just click.8

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