Wild Turkey

Yes, the name of this photograph is Wild Turkey. If you turn off the lights and squint, you may actually be able to see one. The real story here relates to the challenges of outdoor photography. Often while closely focusing on a subject, landscapes in my case, several minutes can pass while preparing and concentrating. It seems that when least expected, some sort of wildlife will pop out unannounced. The alleged wild turkey in question made itself known with loud gobbles while crashing through leaves.

Both surprise and excitement causes the camera to fly off the tripod and wildly point in a direction of more immediacy. With this photo, you are able to see the process visually. I burst out in laughter while reviewing it later on the computer and felt compelled to aptly, but abstractly, named the image accordingly. Every once and while, an interesting photo is taken, even if the intended subject is no where to be seen. This Wild Turkey photo instead reveals a pleasing painterly feel with soft green overcast and stripes of trees in motion. I'd call this one experimental.

While hiking to places of interest, I've learned to keep my camera at the ready; lens cap off, camera on and everything thing else on my back. This way I'm always prepared to catch that surprised deer or sneaky fox. Wildlife does not play a major part in what I exhibit, but I certainly like the challenge of capturing a unique moment. Being prepared has paid off, but this was learned after countless missed opportunities in capturing deer flying over fences. Here in northern Virginia, this is not a rare occurrence. The Loudoun landscape is filled with deer just waiting to flee your presence.