This true story ran years ago, a simple statement about the soul of two-fisted birdwatching. Here it is again, with words slightly streamlined, but the photo, mediocre as ever, still standing proud.
Height of mediocrity? Sounds like a rant. But it’s not. However, there is height. And the story behind a mediocre photo hanging in the office here, and appreciated every day.
Not a good photo, by contemporary standards.
Bird photography has improved, thanks to digital scopes. Pros and amateurs have hit new levels of crispness, color, detail, composition, the whole package.
But, one day long ago, I took an old 35-mm Pentax with me while exploring Michigan’s U.P. on the chance I’d see something wild. That camera was cumbersome, and a 500-mm lens sees a shaky world.
I was in deep woods near Lake Gogebic. Bald Eagles live around there, and I was looking. By dumb luck I spotted one heading to a nest where a mate waited. I worked my 4-wheel drive up a logging road, trying to get near without disturbing the birds. I shut off the motor about a quarter mile from the tall tree where they had a raggedy home.
Treetops blocked a clear photo. I stood on my truck’s hood, needing a higher vantage point. Still no good. I climbed onto the roof. Almost high enough but not quite. I considered a nearby tree, but none had branches I could grab. I went into the truck, and got stuff to pile on the roof.
(Don’t try this at home)
It was unsteady. But how often do you see eagles on a nest when you have a long lens? I stacked backpacks, jackets, a suitcase. I considered hoisting my spare tire onto the roof, but didn’t need it. The pyramid of junk got me high enough if I stood on it and stretched to my full height, just under 6 feet in hiking boots.
I wobbled and almost fell. I was balanced on the roof of a truck on a tilted road. About twelve feet high, I guess. Would’ve been a long way down, with nobody even knowing where I was. I aimed, held steady, and got a quick shot.
Fuzzy, grainy. There are better shots of eagles to be found. But for me, it was a high point in the history of wildlife photography. A point about twelve feet high. And worth the risk. Sometimes a photo can be mediocre and still make a statement about the thrill of seeing great birds and the grit of two-fisted birdwatching.
Not a bad shot considering the circumstances, location, and limitations of an old Pentax 35mm.
That’s an awesome photo because it’s a memory you’ll always have. And an experience definitely worth remembering.
A blurry shot is better than none…And two eagles are better than one!