Photo:Engage

  “ I often wished I could capture and share the sudden moments of beauty that I would see around me."   - Caroline Mueller     It's been put many ways but we don't help our spouses as a nice-to-do, occasional thing. A marriage, or relationship, is best built as a complete partnership where both people, or birds in this case, work together selflessly for the good of the relationship or family. Nobody is doing a favor as both parties act without ego to help further the goals of the unit. As I wrote in my post on May 13, 2023...      Welcome back to Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge where the graceful great white egrets roost and rule. Both male and female egrets help with nest building. This elegant bird posed perfectly for me with a small stick in their beak as they prepared to fly back towards the rookery. I watched the whole congregation for a long time work on their nests together and care for their hatchlings. What a magnificent display and ...

  “ I almost never set out to photograph a landscape, nor do I think of my camera as a mean of recording a mountain or an animal unless I absolutely need a 'record shot.' My first thought is always of light. ”  - Galen Rowell     I was surprised by how bright the birds were in the afternoon sun. Their white feathers reflected so much light that my camera consistently overexposed them unless I took great pains to meter directly on their gleaming bodies. Of course, this darkened the background behind the birds, but I think it resulted in a beautiful look to the image. See for yourself as I share what happened in my post dated December 3, 2022...  Although my visit started with a gross underestimation of how far I would be hiking in the South Carolina lowcountry heat and humidity, I was also cursed with the hubris of ignoring the large sign warning me to bring drinking water as there would be none available inside the refuge. After walking a long way...