You are smiling with irony, thinking those words – “right time, wrong place” – a misunderstanding has been done by you as a wildlife photographer. And because I know that shared sorrow is half sorrow, let me assure me with this short story that you are not alone.
I honestly believe that there is no other style of photography because wildlife is dependent on fickle fate as photography. Certainly, after knowing the behavior of the environment and species, you will dramatically improve your obstacles. However, things still have a lot of space to get wrong and you have to go home empty -handed.
And going home empty -handed is exactly the same as I did one day last December, when I was going to South Morvia to film with Oldic Mikulika. In this picturesque, rolling scenario where excellent grapes are grown for white wine today, waves of a prehistoric ocean once took on a shallow sea surface. As a memory of those ancient times, bright limestone patches still shine here and there, arising like small islands of the forest amidst vineyard baris.
Because the climate here is slightly upheaval than most parts of Europe, even in winter, it draws a rare and very special guest every year – Wallcreepeer (Tichodroma murariaYou can count the number of visitors dropped in winter throughout the Czech Republic on one hand. A true rareness.
Therefore, I took an opportunity to stay from a place where I knew that a volcanper was seen. An old, abandoned limestone mine on the edge of a vine turn, and that’s the place where I met with my friend Zdeněk, also a keen photographer. After all, shared happiness is double happiness. Or is it a shared pain that has doubled? But let’s not move forward.
We were not alone in that natural amphitheater. A family with telescope had come in front of us, it was also hoping to catch a glimpse of this elusive winter guest. This was a good sign – it was here! Encouraged, I grabbed my camera, enhanced my 500 mm lens with a teleconverter, and began scanning the area.
And because I am suffering Confusion that good photos require discomfortI chose a spot that perfectly fit the bill. A steep, loose slope, sometimes dotted with prickly vegetation, the way it is elevated. Rock face in front of me, rock face behind me – perfect! Wallcreepeer was sure to pass a dozen times in an hour … at least!
A few hours later, I was forced to assure that prediction. Beautifully colored birds, with their round red wings and fluttering flights, resembled a tropical butterfly, not particularly shy. But it was a habit to keep myself too far for my lens, even at 700 mm. And even when I could see it from a distance, it always managed to locate itself with a piece of rock or at least a branch or a branch of grass or accurately between us. This is a sixth meaning that birds feel.
Till now, the sun was taking less dip on the horizon, and I was hard and throat for hours of sitting in a harsh position, when suddenly, volcanper fluttered my head, and landed at a place where this photo could be taken … but not by me. No, it can not happen – it’s right in front of zdeněk! At the same moment, he stood on a flat, grass clearing, his camera comfortably settled on a rock-stedy trippai. Wallcreepeer, in the whole disregard of his previous behavior, landed in a right place in one place, I could not staging it myself better.
I will now share photos of Zdeněk.
Just above the level of the eye of zdeněk, in a small shaded crack from the hard sun, the bird began to select insects and spiders peacefully from the crack with its thin bill. During the feeding, it was killed that it seems as if this bird model spent years in school. Honestly, it could not be better.
As far as my question is? I was ridiculously sitting high and far away for it that I was trying to fix my terrible situation. Whatever I could do, he was sitting there, watching, and silently suffering. I knew that this chance would not come again. Not today, not in this winter. I was probably twenty meters away from an ideal photo opportunity, but regret – right time, wrong place.
When I first came to place, I had a completely different article in my mind. Some half about the biology of the volcanper, half about it photographed. Instead, we have a separate article. However, thanks to my friend Zdeněk’s kindness, I was able to share some photos for this beautiful bird at least. And also share a story in which every wildlife photographer has a story of expectations, hope and despair in dozens of his sleeves.
Fortunately, disappointment flew quickly as a volcanper in the beginning of spring. Back to my way from the field, I realized that I had once again experienced a wonderful and, in fact, typical Wildlife Photographer Day. Surrounded by beautiful nature and is completely immersed in the activity that I like the most – the picture of birds.
