"you cannot fly like an eagle with the wings of a wren ."
       --william henry hudson, 1909

as i rounded a bend in the twisting mangrove channel known as hell's gate during my early morning paddle today, i glanced up to the tops of the ironwood trees that are often perches for some of the eagles in this area. i was rewarded with a nicely lit side profile of an eagle that allowed me to drift into place quietly while i readied the camera and captured a few frames. and that's all that this bird allowed: two frames before it flew off. i was grateful, indeed; eagles in florida have been a challenge to find from the kayak and an even greater challenge to drift up on to photograph.

this eagle is at least five years old; its white head and tail feathers appear at age five. as adults, eagles have more than 7,000 feathers! they can live up to 30 years in the wild.

scientists write that eagles have rebounded enough in the state of florida state officials removed it from the state's threatened species list in june of 2006. while over a thousand nesting pairs listed in the state (more than 80% of eagles in the southeastern states are found in florida), there is also an estimated 900 people per day moving to florida, which translates to long-term habitat loss and further decline.

the bald eagle is not really bald. bald is a derivation of "balde", an old english word meaning white.

the bald eagle was officially declared the national emblem of the united states by the second continental congress in 1782. images of this great bird are found on the great seal, federal agency seals, the president’s flag and on a one-dollar bill.

following six years of discussion, the founding fathers selected this bird because it is unique to the united states. (bald eagles are found only in north america, ranging from the northern parts of alaska and canada down to northern mexico.) the american bald eagle is thought to symbolize strength, courage, freedom, and immortality.

ben franklin wanted the wild turkey to be the national bird because he thought the eagle was of “bad moral character.”

nikon d2x, nikkor 80-400 VR @ 400mm, 1/400, f/9

"there are no days in life so memorable as those which vibrated to some stroke of the imagination."
       --ralph waldo emerson

nikon d2x, nikkor 17-35 d @ 17mm, 180 seconds, f/13

"the night walked down the sky with the moon in her hand."
       --frederick l. knowles

the beaches along florida's northeast coast are quite different than my own. they are broad and flat, and the dunes that line them undulate with gentle curves. tiny picket fences trace these dune curves like bristled hair.

the waning full moon rose late through dappled clouds out across the atlantic. we sat on the edge of the beach and watched it thread through milky wisps. finally, armed with flashlights, headlights, tripods and cable releases, we set about making our first lightpainting experiments.

photographic lightpainting is exactly what the descriptive implies: selective objects in a scene are painted with artificial light in the darkness during a long exposure shot. lightpainting allows for amazing creativity, but also takes a bit of practice.

some time later, we left the beach with a few good captures in our cameras - some lovely blends of moonlight, sand and reflections on ocean water, buffed bright by incandescent light.  so much new stuff to treasure.

grand exposure in the dark. "this is a lot more fun than lightpainting."

nikon d2x, nikkor 17-35 d @ 25mm, 8 seconds, f/8, lightpainted

"dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made in establishing tonal relationships."
       --ansel adams

reflective light made the gulf of mexico glow just after sunset on this day after 4th of july. left-over fireworks clawed at the darkening sky to the north as long stabs of lightning splayed across the eastern sky over the everglades.

earth and sky celebrate with light.

nikon d2x, nikkor 12-24 dx @ 12mm, 4 seconds, f/13