A swallow banks right in this photograph.
Mission Trails – San Diego

After many years of experimental photography impressions, I have decided to make bird photographs. Not that I never did before. I include birds in many of my works. Those however were only suggestions, much like a watercolor painting. “Bird Photography” in its strictest philosophical sense requires tack sharp details. Fairly easy to do with a static subject.

Moving birds are another matter. Moving birds are (in my mind) the pinnacle of bird photography. This type of work depicts the bird “body” as it maneuvers in flight. It is an unmatched beauty within the mammalian atmosphere in my opinion.

It also requires all the experience the photographer brings to the moment. One cannot simply point-and-shoot to capture a racing bird in flight. Knowing how to technically control the camera is a must. As usual, I shoot manually. In other words, we set all the controls. We might use auto focus, or we might use manual focus (more than likely). Everything is set to support a fast shutter.

With all that said, I do not consider myself to be a “bird photographer.” Today I may subject my work to the rigors of traditional bird photography. Tomorrow, who knows? It is for the challenge and the love of image making that we do this. If tomorrow’s sunset brings clouds and color, I might ignore the philosophy of “bird photography” and jump wholly into impression making. There are no chains in art, other than the ones we place on ourselves.

Just a head’s up. There will be more birds. Many more birds.