I find it ironic that birders on our local list server are just now wondering what is in the pellets that our visiting snowy owls have been spitting up. My friend Bill Russell and I have been tearing apart and examining each one we can get our hands on since our first trip to visit the owls in December. 

If birders hadn't started building a rift between photographers and themselves with all of the vitriol they've spewed towards “us” over the last few months, I might be a little more open with “them” about our findings. Granted, much of what they have said about photographer is warranted, but it sure doesn’t motivate those of “us” that do care about the birds to work with “them”. What photographer would want to knowing that birders would probably be grouping “us’ in the their “them” group from the get go?

BTW, I personally consider serious, respectful bird photographers as birders, our objectives are different than those with a scope though. Rather than just crossing a species off of a checklist, we aim to take a photo of the bird that hopefully does it justice, at least that’s my objective anyways.

A flock of canada and cackling geese flying through the tiny bit of nice light I had yesterday at Nisqually NWR. The rest of the sky was socked in with clouds and I figured the day was a bust.

I tried to make the most of what’s presented to me at the time. On days like yesterday, more often than not, nothing presents itself. But from time to time you can make something of it. Moments such as those are like little unexpected Christmas presents to me.

Step out side of tradition and rip your tripod from the holes that others put there so long ago. Don’t just regurgitate what others have done before you. We all shoot the icons at one time or another, I still do sometimes. It’s a good learning experience to make your own spin on what others have done before you.  But what’s that saying about us when that becomes the norm? Take the iconic shot when it’s there, get it out of the way and then forget about it. Check it off “the list” and then make the rest of the photos you make there your own.

When I look at an artist’s body of work, from any of the disciplines, I want to see them in their work. I want to see how it speaks to their heart. I don’t want it to say what others would like it to say. It’s your voice in the photos that you make and they should be saying what you want them to say.  So say it. Tell your story the way you want it to be told. Stay true to yourself.

We (mostly guys) put way too much weight on the mechanics and specs of cameras, tripods, lenses and what-not. Today’s tools are probably the best they’ve ever been, quit worrying about the next best thing or upgrading and just shoot. Photography “rules,” while they can be a good guide, are secondary as well. What a vanilla world we would live in if we all shot by the “rules”. Both the rules and tools are just a means to an end. Learning how to use them can seem like a challenge initially, but translating and using them to tell your story should always be primary. That is where the real challenges arise.

Art isn’t objective, it’s subjective. Make it that way. If you tell your story through your heart, people will see it. Shoot from there and the story you want that photo to tell will shine though.

It’s not a grand scene of some far off exotic location. It’s not a striking carnivore or a raptor tearing into their prey. It’s not even an unusual or seldom seen animal. It’s a common mallard duck.

If you live in an area that has ducks, you probably have mallards. They’re everywhere.  These ubiquitous birds served a good reminder to me the other day. They reminded me that we can find nature right outside our own front doors, if we are open to seeing it.

With all the photos of exotic place we see floating around the internet, I think we sometimes focus on what could be seen at some place across the country and we forget to look out of our own back doors and really appreciate what we have locally. While I enjoy traveling to new places and seeing new things, that mallard reminded me that I don’t need to make expeditions to the far corners of the globe in search of inspiration in nature. I can see it in my back yard every day if I want. I bet you’d see it at home too if you took the time to slow down and really look.

So, the next time you’re looking for inspiration in nature, take a minute and stop thinking about that trip to some far off location. Relax, take a look out your own back door, go for a walk close to home or make a short drive to a local park or preserve, and really concentrate on seeing what you already have around you. Who knows, maybe the beauty and inspiration you’re looking to photograph is closer than you think and it might even be found in a common mallard duck.