I wanted to share something that happened recently while photographing these rare Key Deer in Florida that I found quite moving.
In the darkness, wading in the mangrove swamp waiting for the deer to emerge after dusk, the quality of the light was,
in film days, awful. Today, still using Nikons but trusting the capture with SanDisk Extreme IV Compact Flash Cards, I had this flashback of being a kid looking at the old wildlife photographs in National Geographic Magazines and how powerful those images were to an adventurous young kid. I wanted to be there too.
(Click on image to enlarge)
Those amazing photos captured on safari or in a swamp, in a jungle, wherever, the photogs created images of wildlife in dark conditions, often times relegated to using a huge flash, getting only one shot because the blast of light spooked the animals back into the dense darkness. You cross your fingers and pray you nailed it.
I felt that moment in the mangrove swamp. I was back, thumbing through the pages of old Nat Geo's as a youth, dreaming, wanting to explore the world this way. I felt reconnected to the medium in a whole new way, primitive, fortunate, excited.
Once again the magic of the medium is the reason I adore this job. Coupled with the adventure and the adrenaline rush of seeing these deer at night, but also the excitement of walking away with successful photographs of them at night. Its no wonder how this simply fuels future motivations. Its the reward of why photographers do this.
It was a cool sensation. Glad to see I still enjoy this medium after all these years. As usual, its f/8 and be there!
To present the old time look, I used a vintage app to recreate the image I remember seeing with such fascination 45 years ago in the pages of a magazine.
cheers,
layne
