It appears that I have missed the photographic opportunity of a life time. I decided to scout out a new Osprey nesting and perching site. Aside from the nest being inaccessible, due, to the jaggy and painful nature of the numerous vine bushes that plague the entire proximity of it (Yes, my attempt hurt...bad), I heard the cry of an Osprey behind me. Turning around, I spied two Osprey chasing a single American bald Eagle out of their territory and couldn't quickly get the subjects within focus, nor, the proper exposure dialed in. I couldn't even two eye track the Eagle and Osprey quick enough and yet, it all felt like it was happening so slowly. It didn't help that my camera was in my bag sling bag to begin with. I ended up settling with a blurry rear end shot of a lone bald eagle as it passed over me. I never saw the bald eagle again...I did hear it's shreak while I was beneath numerous trees, walking through some orchards, on private property.
Update: Damn people [Grrr]
I missed yet another opportunity over the weekend. I haven't been able to let this one go. In conjunction with losing the low altitude Osprey vs Bald Eagle shot, basically, due to my camera being stowed, it's just too much. No doubt, this would have been my best yet.
Up along the coast, in Lincoln City, there were literally about 25 (ish?) sea gulls hovering like kites, literally about 4 feet off the ground and at arms length from my face (no joke). In fact, I almost walked into them, pulling my head back and taking two steps back. They were so close, because, people in the parking lot like to give them all sort of crap to eat that would probably kill them faster. They were obviously waiting for that one moron to throw more junk food like potato chips, white bread, cheesy crackers, anything people had on them as road/camping food. I looked up and literally had to stop from running into the hovering gulls. I had no idea they were there, all I had heard was kites flapping in the wind (Lincoln City is basically the kite capital of the US). The wind was blowing so hard and steady that the gulls literally acted as kites and just hovered there, with no motion of the wings at all. It made for a pretty spectacular scene. I tried quickly, to fill my frame with them...impossible! Firstly, my lens cap was still on ( I was hardly prepared, as, I had just gotten out of the parking lot). Secondly, my camera was off. Thirdly, I was using the 70-300 Telephoto on a crop sensor camera, with the idea that I was going to be photographing surf. Thirdly, I was standing closer than 5 feet to my subjects! I was face to face with a group of gulls and the closest distance my telephoto supports? 4.9 ft, thus, I couldn't focus on them. Fourthly, I could only get four-ish in my picture with this lens anyway. I quickly unscrewed my telephoto and threw it in the bag with no end cap on it. Whipping out my wide angle lens, which would allow for me to shoot a point blank shot, zoomed roughly to 25mm, and I'd have the entire group in the scene. Let us first establish, that the early evening sun was perfect! A small, white, transparent cotton cloud passed in front of it, evenly distributing the suns intensity into diffuse lighting that caused the gulls to glow. By the time I got my lens on, I knew right away what had happened...some idiot threw more heart stopping food in the parking lot and they all lifted up and migrated to the moron with the loaf bread.
Oh well...at least my wife was there to assure me that even the greatest photographers have those moments.