My camera was fully charged. I checked the weatherman’s forecast and confirmed it by standing out in my front yard searching for signs of severe weather. My snorkeling gear was cleaned and ready and my attitude was open and optimistic.
All the indicators pointed to it being a great day to venture out and try to become photography’s next Ansel Adams or capture a photo that gets put on the cover of National Geographic … if the photographic gods concur.
Too many influences and random happenstance’s make thinking today was that day is a fool’s errand but you learn to take what is given. Sometimes what is given to a photographer by the forces that be – whatever they may be – hard work, luck, talent, expensive equipment, divine intervention – occur only in a fraction of time in an unexpected place and your unprepared. This will be about one of those days.
10am I arrived at my snorkeling spot for the day put my camera bag and snorkeling gear on the dock and got in the water. Before I could even start getting set up I noticed something coming down the shore towards me. It was a muskrat. Excitedly but calmly I get my camera out of its case trying not to interrupt the muskrat’s mission.
The muskrat takes no notice of me passes with in a foot of my feet and just keeps on its route.
I watched as the muskrat disappears from sight. I regained my composure and gear up for what I had planned a fun day of snorkeling and photo’ing of fish and plants but with no luck of taking that one amazing photo. After 2 hours in the water I got out put away my equipment and lay in the sun on the dock to dry off. The warmth of the sun was mesmerizing and I may or may not have engaged in a slight nap.
Warmed and rested I guessed I had time for a quick swim. I swam out a 100 yards from the shore bobbed around and swam back to the dock. I had the feeling I was being watched I clambered back on the dock and as I stood up I noticed an immature bald eagle watching me from a nearby tree.
I’m not sure how long the eagle was sitting there? Was he there when I was out in the water the first time? Or did he show up while I was resting my eyes?
Camera in hand and ready I sat patiently and waited … and waited some more to see what this immature eagle was going to do. Appeared like it was just going to sit there and enjoy a sunny summer day and maybe take a nap (I may be a bad influence). I lost my focus and turned to see what else was going on around me and my movement made the eagle finally get tired of me and it jumped from its perch and I got a couple of photos as it took off and headed off across the lake.
Not the day I was expecting and no mind-blowing photos simply a day of a photographer.