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Loon



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Behind The Lens

Location

This family of Loons make their home on Prairie Lake in Tomahawk, WI. I was in a kayak looking for Bald Eagles when I saw this little family of Loons. I've enjoyed watching the Loons for years and usually hear them before I see them.

Time

It's been a few years since I took this photograph. I can't remember a lot of the details about the moment, other than the excitement I had when I realized I'd captured such a beautiful image while sitting in a kayak, on the water, holding my camera! It is one of my very favorite images and I'm very proud of it. We have access to a home on this lake and have vacationed there for many years. When we are up there time feels different and generally we don't live by the clock. I don't know exactly what time of the day it was, though I don't normally go out on the lake before mid afternoon. My best guess is that it was sometime after 2:00 p.m. and before 5. As the sun sets, the mosquitos come out and it's no fun to be on the water when the mosquitos are out!

Lighting

I'd love to say that I checked the location of the sun and lined everything up perfectly to get the best lighting, but I can't say that. Given the time of day that I usually go out on the lake, I'd say that the sun was at just the right angle in the sky to help me get this shot.

Equipment

This is a handheld shot with a Panasonic Lumix. It has a fixed lens with a 60X optical zoom and I had the camera set to "scenery" in the auto menu section. I used the zoom as I always want to give the Loons their space. It is a handheld shot while sitting in a kayak in the middle of the lake, praying that I wouldn't drop my camera in the lake!

Inspiration

The lake is home to all sorts of wildlife. I was really hoping to get a "money shot" of one of the Bald Eagles that always seem to evade my lens! The Loons always call when they see the Eagles. I didn't get any Eagle shots that day, but when I saw the baby Loon sitting on the back of the adult, it was so amazing to me! I was able to take several pictures, but this is, by far, my favorite. I have to add that I'm so glad I didn't see the Eagles that day. Baby Loons are food for the Eagles.

Editing

There was no post-processing involved with this image.

In my camera bag

The equipment I normally have is my Panasonic Lumix and my iPhone. The iPhone gets some nice images, but you have to be right on top of your subject to get the best images. The Panasonic has a fixed zoom lens, which is actually pretty great for use on the water. When you don't have to switch lenses you don't have excess movement on the water. I'm not a professional photographer and have limited equipment. I also have a Nikon DX, but would not be comfortable taking it out on the water.

Feedback

Be patient, be still and practice. Some of my favorite images are handheld shots. I think when you're holding the camera, as opposed to using a tripod, it's important to just click that shutter button over and over again. If you're going to take your camera out on a kayak, in the middle of a lake, be aware that you may lose it! I always have my neck strap around my neck, but if I go in the drink, so does the camera. But if I just drop it while I'm sitting there, it's less likely to wind up in the water. Don't forget to enjoy the moment. Set the camera aside when you're done, sit back and just enjoy the space around you.

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