The key for wildlife photography in my opinion is getting close to your subject. This is quite often easier said than done. If you followed my attempts over the years to get close to some Sandhill Cranes you know what I’m talking about. Yep, I got them, but almost every picture was cropped because these very shy birds like to keep a distance between themselves and the avid photographer. The breakthrough came in 2013, when I used a kayak and a lot of time to approach the cranes in the backwaters of the Mississippi River, not far from home. The cranes that stay here during the summer come back to their resting places for the night usually after sunset. Well, that fits my working schedule pretty good but shooting a 500mm lens from a kayak in low light bares a challenge that isn't that easy to overcome.
The images of wild Sandhill Cranes were an accomplishment that I’m very happy about because they were made from a close distance. I love those birds and you can bet that adrenaline rushed through my veins any time I was able to press the shutter release… (see my posts about the Sandhill Cranes in 2013 by clicking HERE and HERE).