Sometimes I think I would like to live the life of Moose Peterson (http://www.moosepeterson.com), a world-renowned wildlife photographer. The man has more patience than most humans, plus some super huge lenses. I admire his work immensely. I don’t think I could spend hours in a cold, damp place just waiting for that elusive shot he manages to capture over and over. His work is not as luxurious as some might imagine; he braves the elements and takes risks to get the images he captures. But he creates the most amazing photos on the planet.

Today I captured a hawk (with my camera, of course). The hawk came to my backyard, so it was the lazy person’s wildlife adventure. I’m still trying to perfect my animal shots, and have a long way to go. Just as trying to photograph dogs in silly holiday costumes, shooting wild animals requires much patience, luck, fast equipment, long lenses and exacting talent.

I will never be Moose Peterson, but I will continue to shoot as often as I can and continue to learn and grow in my photography. As Moose said in one of his books, “great photography is a lifetime in the making.” I know that’s true.

The real joy in photographing animals is the quiet moments of interaction with nature. It’s a sacred connection to mother nature.