Eveything I have shot here and through the archives has been shot with one of my Sony Alpha cameras. I've used Sony since taking photography seriously many years ago and they provide for me a lovely mix of comfort, familiarity, and capability. My current selection includes:
Generally I travel with at least two of them. I typically bring a 300mm zoom lens for creatures, a wide angle 18mm to 55mm for scenery, and a fixed 50mm for plants and macro. I also have a 500mm zoom but in truth I never use it because it is too heavy and truly needs a tripod (which I abhor).
The depth of his roar, a distance of 100 feet away or more was still enough to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. My brain knew it wasn't a threat, but my feet thought they needed to run. I had this happen to me a year ago also where the distance was only 5 or 6 feet and there is little preparation for the primal fear that involuntarily ensues.
I had been shooting her moments before at a distance in a shady tree and she flew towards me to the perch here. There was a moment where she was maybe only two feet above me and I could feel the breeze from her wings and the auduble "whoomp" that they created. Magic and humbling.
The morning after Hurricane Irma had passed right through my yard, taking down trees and turning my home into a scene from a future apocalypse, I came across her while out surveying the damage. There she was sipping a little water that lay on the driveway, almost as if nothing had happened. That such fragility and gentleness could surive such a mammoth storm, gave me hope and refreshed my soul.
There is a solitude in the semi-darkness of pre-dawn that I find intensely pleasing with my camera and first cup of coffee. As I kneeled down to get a low-profile reflection of the glistening waters, I noticed that I was not there alone this morning. My friend, the Great Blue Heron, had passed this way moments before, making sure I didn't feel lonely.
