Photography is a funny thing, you never quite know what your going to end up with, but you never come away empty handed. Most of the time what you have in your mind rarely is captured in a photograph; you have to adapt to the situation and make the best of what you get. Even if you don’t get that one stellar photograph you always gain experience, both photographically and for yourself.
Me shooting in the wildlife area. Photo: Walt Howington
While I was on my winter break I was lucky enough to make a trip down to Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island FL. By the time I got there it was late morning and the light was starting to become harsh and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get any dramatic photos. We drove up to the second or third lake area and saw a large number of Rosette Spoonbills Platalea ajaja.
I got my camera equipment out, which was a Nikon D200 with a 300 f2.8 lens and a 2x teleconverter, crept down in some bushes and started shooting. I was a bit nervous about just thrusting myself right next to the waters edge in some bushes because there was a sign cautioning people about alligators, but it was worth the risk!
While shooting, a couple of the Spoonbills started taking a bath and made for some great shots. After their bath they spread their wings to dry them and I came up with some unique photos of that series.
After visiting the refuge 3 times in the past and never coming up with photos of the Spoonbills that I liked it was great to have got the shots that I have longed for. It was a wonderful combination of luck and knowing what to do and how to shoot that all came together to make the photos work.
