BIRDS - HORIZONTALS PART ONE

"The unknown is the only true continuity

within our temporary existence"

(Lopez-Espina, 2014)

Thank goodness technology has devised digital cameras. Difficult to forget lugging around 500-600 rolls of film when doing lengthy photo assignments abroad? During those days running the film through X-ray machines was my biggest concern, particularly if stopping at various airports. I would be a nervous wreck just thinking about spending months shooting, only to get my images ruined at the airport. Throughout those years, there weren’t too many options. All I wanted was for the film to be hand inspected. I frequently beg the security staff to consider the fragility and importance of the film, often revealing I would lose my job if the film got damaged. Some workers were sympathetic and obliged, while the rest continue to get invited to my annual swimming pool party in Siberia.

I’m sure some of you are wondering—why so much film?  First, the obvious. I usually would spent around three months at any given location. In addition, when photographing animals, there are lots of trial and error, plus, nothing uses film or digital frames faster than bird photography. That being said, some images below were single shot efforts.  A fraction of a second reaction that sometimes yields amazing results.