Improvisation

I’m jumping with joy! It’s Eagle season in Denver. I’ve been seeing Eagles on my morning walks in various parks and lakes. I went to a lake I heard had a group of Eagles a few days ago. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed. I’d been there in past years when I saw 9 or 10 Eagles on the lake, in the trees, soaring through the sky. I had gotten soooo excited since a friend shared the Eagles were back.

A friend and I walked and walked, asking passersby if they’d seen the Eagles. Several said they saw a Juvenile a mile or so down the way. Heavy backpack, heavy tripod with a gimbal head (it allows you to swivel the camera, go up and down and all around…) weighs a ton! With cameras, long lenses, extra batteries, some tools, a fleece vest…. You get the point.

After walking two or three miles, we came upon some photographers. There was a Juvenile Eagle high up in a tree with many branches covering part of it. With a long lens, we could zoom in pretty well. Still, it was far off. I thought, well, I can photoshop the branches out to reveal its body. Check out the photo at the top of this Blog. 

One of the lessons of photography is, you NEVER know what you will or will not see even if you go for something specific. Life happens. I’m sure ya’ll are feeling a lot of that right now!!! It’s not unusual to come out with a remarkable and unexpected photo. We get to stay open to the possibilities.

In comes the word Improvisation!

As we were walking back to our cars, we were both compelled to make photos of the reflections in the water. Stunning. Art in Nature!

Because this adventure was meant to be about seeing Eagles, many Eagles, I decided to apply Improvisation!!!  "Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself is in the Latin "improvisus", which literally means un-foreseen.” I added a photo of an Eagle that I had made at another time in this same location. 

I hope you enjoy it!

When all was said and done, it was a gorgeous Colorado day. Folks we passed said hello and chatted a bit. We soaked in the views all around us with the lake, snow capped mountains, trees, blackbirds… and, it was sunny and warm!!! No coat needed!!! Wow! 

Life is filled with the unexpected. More now than I can recall in my almost 70 years of life. This is one of the reasons I take my camera for walks as often as possible. It keeps me sane. My heart is filled with beauty. I stay in the moment as I focus on things that draw my attention. 

Where in your life do you use Improvisation when things don’t appear as you had hoped?? 

Write to me at katytartakoff@gmail.com. I’d love to hear how you’re doing.

Love and blessings, Y’all.