First visit to the Chilkat River Bald Eagle Preserve. We had a great day of shooting in spite of the relatively low light. Fortunately it didn't rain and there was hardly any wind, in spite of the forecast. These eagles are very different from the midwest eagles I usually shoot. I never saw a single eagle catch a fish in the water. Instead they seem to wait for the almost dead salmon to come their way, then they waddle over and grab it. Several eagles will spend quite a bit of time fighting over a fish. Compared to midwest eagles, these guys have it easy! In these photos, I'm attempting to incorporate some things we've learned in lectures, particularly with regard to composition. Obviously the technical aspects of the photo need to be there, and I'm trying to avoid simple perching shots and make the photos a little more interesting. Also I need to practice my flight shots. Some of the things mentioned so far involve placing the subject in its environment, and use of lines. Hopefully that will be evident in the photos.

Our third day shooting at the preserve. There were a few inches of snow on the ground which was really great. The views were spectacular and we were able to get quite close to the eagles.

Today I worked on getting some flight and action shots. I found a great spot lower on the bank right across where there was a lot of salmon and the eagles were all around me. On my side of the river they were taking off and landing right above my head. One eagle was perched on a tree in front of me and another came over and body slammed it right there! Another swooped just a few feet from my head - enough for me to duck down. At one point I heard someone behind me and it turned out to be an eagle walking through the woods on the ground. There was a piece of salmon about 10 feet behind me (someone must have dropped it there) and it just walked right over. Right across the river was plenty of action and opportunities for flight shots, plus we had some decent light, so I was very happy with the results. It was fun watching the eagles and also getting some good photos.