Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Those Two Guys

Inbound (Cygnus buccinator) - Vadnais Heights, MN
Canon 5D Mark III + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS
This past Sunday I had the pleasure to do a bit of winter photography with my good friend Brian Collins. We first met at the Bell Museum in Minneapolis where we worked as naturalist/guides for the Bell's education program. Brian was working on his fisheries and wildlife degree, and I had just given up the life of a field ecologist to become a biology educator. Even back then, we both shared a passion for capturing the drama of nature and wildlife on film. To me, photography was the placebo that eased my transition from research to work, and to Brian it was a way to document the world he hoped to study. Shortly after graduate school, I moved on to a career in teaching, we lost touch, and that was that.
Preening (Cygnus buccinator) - Vadnais Heights, MN
Canon 5D Mark III + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS
Some might call it fate, I call it probability. There was no guarantee that we would bump into each other at Kohl's Department Store, nor that we might recognize one another five years later, but life's random nature and probability made for an unexpected reunion. The collision of our paths is now a distant memory, but ever since that day, we have remained great friends, photo-buddies, and sufferers of cold winter mornings.
Arousal (Cygnus buccinator) - Vadnais Heights, MN
Canon 5D Mark III + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS
So this past Sunday we ventured out on a frigid morning to catch a sunrise with trumpeter swans. Clear skies and cold air made for challenging photography, yet the swan activity kept us both engaged. Two guys pursuing a common craft and enjoying the still of a winter day may not be for everyone, but I could not imagine a better way to spend a weekend in January. To see more images of swans and other species that captivate the imagination, visit Brian's amazing photography blog at http://saintcroixbirds.blogspot.com.
Sometimes it's Better to be Lucky than Good (Cygnus buccinator) - Vadnais Heights, MN
Canon 5D Mark III + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS

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