Photographers often get bad reputations among non-photographers because in their attempts to get photos their actions are perceived as stressful to the subject that they are photographing. I had pulled off the road somewhere at Presque Isle when I saw families of geese hanging out. I got down in the grass and just watched them for a while. Casually and slowly I got closer and closer to the geese. Eventually I was ten or fifteen feet from them and they started to fall asleep. That is stress free photography.
A yellowlegs sticking its head into the water in search of food. Honestly, photographs like this are often better luck than management.
This was the very first wildlife image that I made with a Canon 500 F4 lens. Van Tuil Photo brought one in for me to look at when I told them that I would love to buy one someday. Not only did they let me see it they told me to take it out for a spin and bring it back "sometime after I had a chance to really play with it." I immediately went looking for birds and found this Red Head in the Mallory Run Fishing Area in the middle of Edinboro. I've never seen anything but mallards there before or since. I love the snow on his head. Sold!
