Why Persistence and Patience Matters as a Wildlife Photographer

 Now I’m not usually the most patient person (just ask my family).  However, over time and as I dive more and more into a wildlife photography I have learned to slow down, enjoy nature, and be patient. This  is shown in my recent posts including my sunrise trip to Pungo Lake. 

However on that trip, this new attitude is really on display when I drove over to Lake Mattamuskeet. Though there weren’t as much wildlife that I wanted to photograph, but I kept at it. I spent a few hours at the lake and it was now toward the end of the day. 

I knew that I wanted to head home soon as a large storm was moving in from the west which meant I’d be driving right into it My stomach was telling me that it’s been some time since breakfast (no lunch this day) and anyone that knows me knows I love to eat! I also knew that my wife would be concerned if I was too late. 

So, I got into the car at the Lake and thought, “maybe I should do just one more drive around the lake” . After all, on the far side of the lake were lots of egrets that I photographed earlier. I decided I’d just have to do it. Boy am I glad that I did! 


That’s when in driving I saw this guy. Now normally when shooting with my very long telephoto lens (Tamron 150-600 mm) I use a tripod with a special gimbal head that’s best for bird photography.  As I was driving the lake I saw this guy. What caught my eye that is photography gold is the perfect reflection of the calm water. 

I pulled up my car and stopped. These birds are used to cars but they get nervous when they see people. I knew as soon as I opened my car door he’d be gone. So here I am with one of my best shots available to me that is so fragile, what do I do? 

Well I put the car in park,  reach into my backseat of my SUV and grab my camera (luckily still had that long monster lens on it), roll down my passenger side window, take off my seatbelt and rotate my legs over the center console and use them like a tripod and shoot away! 

So just imagine, if I had listened to my stomach and fears of a storm, I would never have gotten this shot!

Stay warm my friends as the deep freeze hits the east coast of the US. 


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