On-the-Water Photography

I've been taking my camera along on our recent kayak trips. Here are some of the photos I've taken. You can see more in my web album over at Picasa.

Most of these are from a recent excursion to Beaver Creek Lake Park. This past Monday, we packed a picnic and paddled for most of the afternoon. The weather was glorious. During the winter season, the county doesn't charge admission to the lake parks. Great for us: we're still willing to kayak in cool weather, and the free admission is certainly appreciated.

There are gads of turtles in the lakes. They can nearly always be counted on to sun themselves on just about anything protruding from the water. The bigger ones seem to be rather afraid of anything approaching them: as soon as we start heading over to them, they tend to jump in the water. The smaller ones, however, will sit it out for quite a while. T suggested that the bigger ones are scardy-cats, while the little ones are braver. I suggested that she had confused cause and effect: perhaps the big ones are big because they are fearful. In any case, this turtle sat still enough for me to get a really nice shot of him. And T held the boat steady enough that the photo came out nice and sharp.

Rounding a bend in one of the creeks that feeds the lake, we came upon an osprey perched high in one of the trees in front of us. T slowly steered the boat toward the bird, while I readied my camera and started taking pictures. The best were after the bird launched from the branch, like this one. Made me wish for a bigger lens, but even if I could afford a supertelephoto, I'm not sure I'd take it out in the boat.... As it is I worry a bit about my camera body and my day-to-day lens. Gotta get a good dry bag and attach floatation devices to it.

Shortly after we saw the osprey, we stopped for a picnic. T climbed out of the boat nearly where I took this picture. I stayed in an paddled around to the far side of the rock. There, an outcropping jutted out just inches over the water. I ran the side of the boat under the outcropping, lifted out the cooler, and the change in displacement was enough to wedge the boat against the rock. I hopped out, the boat tried to float even higher, and it was stuck fast. David's boat we ran up on shore a bit.

During the picnic, the osprey stayed in another tree just across the lake from us, only about 50 yards away, or so. I hoped that he would fly back to the tree from which he'd flown when I snapped the pictures of him, but he didn't. More's the pity - taking the images from land, they might have been a little sharper. And from that angle, the lighting would have been more favorable. Next time, perhaps.

After the picnic, we explored the other arm of the lake. Wasn't much wildlife (aside from some Canadian geese, which I rather discount), but we ran up the creek on that side of the lake and had a good time. David got stuck quite a few times, and probably gave himself quite a workout getting unstuck. It was funny to watch him paddling all out and staying place. He ended up hopping out and walking his boat several times. On our way back to the car, though, I spotted a white egret among the reeds, through some trees before we rounded a bend in the creek. I readied my camera, and just as we came around the bend, it took flight. There was a fisherman just outside the frame of the photo - perhaps he spooked the bird. In any case, I got three pictures; this was the best.