Wildlife Photography IS Frustrating
Wildlife photography is frustrating, that is something I have come to learn over the years. You can try to do everything right and the photo can be messed up, you could not be ready in time, or there could be nothing to photograph. Wildlife photography requires patience, knowing your surroundings, being quiet and so much more. You could be out looking for one thing and completely miss another opportunity because you’re too focused on just one thing. I think one of the most frustrating things about it is that you could see a ton of wildlife, but still somehow walk away with no photos, like my adventure to try and get Bald Eagle photos for example.
On Saturday morning I woke up and didn’t have a plan on where to go explore for the day. I knew there was usually this pair of Bald Eagles that sat on a dead tree overlooking the river because I drove by them on my way home from work every day. There was a trail and public land along where the eagles perched, so I figured I would try and get some Bald Eagle photos. As I drove by on my way to the parking lot, there wasn’t the pair, but there was one sitting on the tree and I knew I had a good chance. I started walking along the trail when it started to turn off in the opposite direction that I wanted to head and that is when I started looking to go off-trail. I knew as long as I was aware of where the river was, I would be able to backtrack to my location with no problem. I found what I always call deer trails, but I guess animal trails would be more accurate as it could be any animal that walks along a certain path in the woods enough to wear it down. I followed it along for a little while when I had my first encounter with wildlife for the day.
The first encounter was the quickest but possibly my favorite, I am about 90 percent sure it was the fourth wild owl encounter of my life. I was walking along the deer path looking for deer or squirrels when I heard a branch snapping overhead. I looked up as I saw the bird taking off and the way the wings began flapping and the size of the bird reminded me of my other encounter with owls and was pretty confident that is what I had just seen. I saw the direction it went and hiked that way for about ten minutes but I was never able to spot the mystery bird again, no chance of getting a photo. That was typical for my experience with owls though, in nine years I have seen an owl four times and only once got any photos. The first moment of wildlife happened too fast to even get my camera out, the second moment happened almost as quickly.
Most of the deer trail I was following was a singular path and the first chance it came to an intersection I decided to turn out into a less densely wooded area. As I was coming around the corner into an opening, I looked around a fallen tree and a six-point buck was staring right back at me. I knew it had seen me, but I thought that maybe if I could hide fast enough, I would be able to pull out my camera and have time for one photo opportunity. As I was getting my camera out of the holder, I quickly looked down to turn it on and make sure everything was working. By the time I looked back up, not even 3 seconds later, the buck was gone, I had missed another chance. Even worse than completely missing it was I didn’t see what direction it took off in so I couldn’t even try and follow it to get a second go. Lucky for me another buck wouldn’t be too far away.
Not even five minutes had passed since I saw the last buck when I had my next chance to get a photo. I was getting pretty close to the tree that the eagles hang out at, and having seen one at the tree on the drive in I was looking up so I wouldn’t miss what I came out to see. My camera was out and on and I was completely ready to take photos. My eyes following the branches of the tall trees looking for anything that stands out, when I scan the branches, big birds like Bald Eagles are easy to spot. As I was doing this, I heard a couple of branches crack on the ground in the distance, and then something rustling through the leaves. My eyes darted to the sound and I see this beautiful eight-point buck running off deep into the woods. I was too distracted looking for the eagles that I didn’t even notice I was walking right towards it. Bigger than the previous buck, and closer, if I was only looking for it, I might have got a photo. The deer took off in the opposite direction as the eagles and I was so close I decided that I would let the buck go and try and go get what I came out for, the Bald Eagles. Luck was on my side as I would soon see the same eagle I had seen earlier.
After having three awesome experiences and walking away with zero photos, not even a blurry one, I was starting to get a little discouraged and thought I would not be getting any photos for the day. I knew the eagle was close so I was just hoping that I would see it so I could get at least one photo for the day. As I was getting into a decent view of the dead tree the eagles hung out in I saw something out of the corner of my eye, it was the Bald Eagle. It had just taken off and was flying over the trees and back to where I had just come from. I missed it, there was never can clear view, just that I could see it flying through the branches and only for a few seconds in total before it was too far away. I was starting to get a little down when I thought about how much fun the hike was with or without getting photos. I was walking in the woods along the deer trail and coming across different animals, I just never got a photo.
Obviously getting just one photo would have made this adventure pretty much perfect, overall, it was one of my favorite hikes even without it. As I was heading back to my car, I had to remind myself that wildlife photography is tricky, you won’t always get a photo and you could spend hours out in the woods and possibly not even see anything, let alone have a photo opportunity. I was happy with my hike and the fact that sometimes you just don’t get a photo and that is frustrating, but that is okay. The only thing is that’s not what happened this, this time I did get a photo, it just took five chances.
As I was about two minutes from my car, I was almost ready to put my camera completely away in my backpack, when I looked off the trail and about 25 yards in front of me is the biggest buck I have seen all day. In fact, it might be the biggest I have ever seen, an 11-point buck. I already had my camera out, so I was ready and wasn’t going to waste a second, I got one, then two good photos. Then as quickly as I saw it, it turned and ran into the woods. I chased it for about five minutes, but I never got another photo chance, and I was okay with it. I remember walking back to my car not ten minutes before that thinking “if I had gotten just one photo this adventure would have been perfect” now I had that photo, and the perfect adventure. The photos turned out better than I could have hoped and I am so thankful for that, but much more I am thankful for the chance to get out in nature and experience these moments.
If you have seen my photos from this past year, it may seem like I have some sort of secret to all the wildlife I am able to capture, but I don’t. I think my greatest secret would be that I go out every weekend looking for it, it is an intentional thing I am always looking for. Do I have some ideas about where higher concentrations of certain animals like to hang out? Maybe, but I don’t keep that a secret, I am pretty open about it. Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge has some of the best sightings for Sandhill Cranes, or Myer-Big Island State Park has an amazing deer population to see while there and there are so many more areas like that around, you just have to look. Wildlife photography is frustrating, but at the same time, that is what makes it so rewarding. I mean, just look at the below photos that I was able to capture on this adventure.
11-point Buck spotted on the trails between Shakopee and Chaska, Minnesota.
11-point Buck spotted on the trails between Shakopee and Chaska, Minnesota.
