📍 Seal Bay, near Comox, British Columbia, Canada ⧉
As I worked my way closer to this bald eagle, I had one composition in mind: I wanted the larger of the peaks of the BC mainland, across the Strait of Georgia, to sit perfectly behind the bird, creating a frame around the bird. I took a few frames along the way as insurance, knowing full well that no bird waits around for photographers. Sure enough, before I could reach the exact spot I had envisioned, it launched into the air. Looking back, I'm glad I trusted my instincts and kept shooting.
Bald eagles are one of Canada's most recognizable birds of prey, and Vancouver Island is one of the best places in the world to see them. They often choose exposed perches like this one to scan for fish, waterfowl, and carrion. Their eyesight is extraordinary, allowing them to spot prey from remarkable distances, and despite their imposing appearance, they frequently steal food from other birds rather than catching it themselves. With the rugged Coast Mountains rising behind them, it's a reminder of just how wild this stretch of British Columbia really is.
From a composition standpoint, this image came very close to what I had imagined. Placing the eagle off-centre gives it room to look into the frame, while the distant mountain peaks provide a natural backdrop without competing for attention. Shooting at 300mm compressed the perspective, making the mainland mountains appear much closer to the eagle than they really are across the Strait of Georgia. The smaller aperture of ƒ/11 helped keep both the eagle and the distant landscape reasonably defined despite the long focal length, while the fast shutter speed froze any movement in the bird as it watched the landscape around it.
