I have turned into a lazy fisherman. I get out late on the water and look out past Pender Point and see a bit of wind and decide to stay closer to home. Lately I have been trolling or jigging a line near the shoreline and close to home. I like the calm water, the lack of wind and most of all the wildlife. As I fish along the shoreline, the local eagle population has learned to follow my boat and others for the possibility of picking up a fish thrown back into the water. I have had a few very hungry and brave eagles even grab my fish just as I lift it out of the water. Photographing the eagles is always challenging. The speed of the eagle means there is no time to change settings once the bird is in flight. Images in sharp focus is what most will find the hardest to achieve. Shooting with a high shutter speed and high continuous shooting is a good start. In this image I took last week, I used a 100-400mm zoom lens and zoomed all the way out to test my skills on keeping the eagle in frame and focus as it flew by.
Douglas Bradshaw has lived in the North Island for 33 years. He is a Landscape and Wildlife photographer based out of Port Alice B.C. His website is portalicephoto.com follow him on YouTube and Facebook at Port Alice Photography, Images by Douglas Bradshaw
