Bird photography is my go-to most days. Most bird species are exceedingly intelligent and, over time, will grow to interact and gain a sense of ease when I’m around, allowing for candid photo opportunities. These creatures present their own set of challenges in capturing photographs that tell a story. Most often, if one has the patience for it, it’s possible to glimpse the intricacies of life in among the birds: these are precisely what I’m after.

On one such photography expedition at the Mount Tuam Ecological Reserve, I was staying at the KDOL Buddhist Retreat, atop Mount Tuam, on Salt Spring Island. Needless to say, the local animal population was already fairly at ease, however, it was a large male Sooty Grouse, and a few resident Turkey Vultures that proved the greatest challenge. My goal was to use the terrain to somehow get above the Vultures, and get a top-down view of their aerial flight, or, at best, a good side-shot. On the final day of my stay, after much tracking and waiting, I discovered a deer skeleton atop a rocky crag. I poked around a little, trying to figure the story of how it got there, and at once there appeared about twenty feet to my left, three massive vultures suddenly appeared. I scrambled to snap a few dozen shots as they slowly drifted by.

“If the artist has outer and inner eyes for nature, nature rewards him by giving him inspiration.”

Wassily Kandinsky

For most of my bid photographs I use a fast lens – usually a Nikon 50mm 1.8, or a longer lens, that is good in low light conditions, and with a relative fast shutter speed. The action is often too quick for planning or scheming the shot; I often find myself shooting from the hip, sometimes to decent effect, though most get scrapped, as it’s tough to get good clarity at such velocities and intensities. Crows are particularly interesting to shoot. As a rule, if you allow crows and corvids time enough to grow at ease, they will play to the camera. This is unquestionably the case, as I’ve discovered on numerous occasions.

Here’s a little advice from Photographylife.com:

1. Shoot at high shutter speeds of 1/1000 and above to freeze the bird.
2. Always focus on the nearest (to the viewer) eye of the bird.
3. Choose your backgrounds carefully.
4. Be patient and wait for the bird to act naturally.
5. Use a blind whenever possible.

I learned an appreciation for birds during my time in the Cowichan Valley, British Columbia, where I met a curious tribe of crows. Over time, it became clear from their behavior and interactions both among themselves and with myself and other animal species, they were exceedingly intelligent and willing to play. It seems, like us, they seek to understand.

Since then, I’ve learned that many, if not most bird species possess this bright curiosity, from Towhees birds, to Turkey Vultures. Once I became acclimated to this fact, the photographs came easily. At times I swear it’s as if they understood what I was trying to do with the strange contraption in my hands, and seemed to play along.

Most images posted on this page are available in select galleries on the lower BC Coast; enlargements are available here on this site via digital purchase. Enlargements can be printed on traditional archival photo paper, or on canvas or metal. Ask about designer wallpaper and mural / wallhanging enlargements for home decor. Feel free to contact me with any questions or inquiries. 250-715-7977; deanungerauthor@gmail.com. You can also buy our exclusive photo canvases at www.ravenrockgallery.com