That Lucky Shot

I spent last week up at Fort Casey, in Coupeville, Washington last week. I was volunteering at the parent-run camp for my kids’ school. Of course I brought my camera; how could I not? And besides, I was the designated “camp photographer” for the week, so it was a required.

The first day we were there, kids were going through their orientation classes. The weather was great, so I was outside, looking for good shots. I saw an eagle coming through the corner of my eye, and I could tell it was holding something. I raised my camera to my eye, glanced at the exposure settings (yep, they were close enough) and started pushing the shutter release over and over again. My camera can do a pretty quick recycle, so I probably got about 7-8 shots in before the eagle was hidden behind a nearby building.

I looked at my camera, wondering what I had gotten. I discovered that not only had I gotten a pretty good shot, but the eagle was carrying a fish! With a little bit of cropping and some gentle color adjustments, I had this awesome photo to share! As a photographer, you can set things up in a controlled manner and make some gorgeous pieces. But some things – especially involving nature – require a little bit of skill and a whole lot of luck.