Under some circumstances, photographs can bring out an emotional response, and during the nesting season we have a chance to try to capture a poignant moment or moments between adult pairs, or between an adult and a hatchling or nestlings. Like art, photographs can create a level of interpretation, but the first step is to actually get into a position where we can attempt to take the kind of photo that everyone reacts to in some way. In my area, grebes are a good bet to produce an intimate interaction when newly hatched downy young enter the scene, attended by adults fulfilling a new parental role.
Just 3 miles south of home, a number of tiny down-covered Eared Grebes were being attended by adults last Sunday, and the windless morning provided a mostly calm water surface that was conducive for the nearly helpless new grebe hatchlings to follow an adult into a good foraging area. Positioned with the sun at my back, and the birds in front of me, there were no shadows to contend with and the limited colors were illuminated in the best way. Even so, it took some time and patience to wait for the grebes to align as an adult surfaced with a tiny morsal of food and the downy hatchling peeped its food-begging calls in response. In a second, the moment was at hand and I made the most of the intimate interaction with my camera.
Of course, I took a number of grebe photographs that morning, but the above image stood out for its emotional value, and with that digital photograph selected I cropped it in an elongated manner with plenty of surrounding water to give viewers a sense of the open water view. That was the first presentation step; and to emphasize the image and any emotions it might evoke, I limited this Bird Photography feature to a single photograph, without the distraction of “the next photo,” or even the usual photo caption. So please take a little extra time for a second look at this classic photo of the late nesting season, and think about where you might be able to take an interactive photo that emotes a bit of emotion.
Article and Photograph by Paul Konrad
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