Vacation Collaboration

You can get some interesting results when you explore a tidal marsh with your granddaughter. These images taken by our  11 year-old photographer are the results of one such trip on a vacation to Sullivan's Island near Charleston.

While heading back from the marsh at Shem Creek, the two of us broke away from the rest of the family in our tandem kayak to watch an egret fishing the shoreline. With me in the back guiding the kayak and granddaughter in front with the camera, we made our way across the marsh.

With the tide and the current, we had a chance to approach the egret without spooking her if we could just keep quiet and still. To do that we had to row quietly to a spot where the current and tide would take us toward toward the bird.

To get these images we needed to get close enough for the modest 100 mm extension on the Olympus TG5 camera we were using. It's waterproof and rugged, both good features when you are sharing a camera with your grandchildren around water. But also limiting. We were not going to get interesting images unless we could get within 10 to 20 feet.

For those who are not camera buffs, the 100 mm lens is a preferred lens for portrait photography. When taking a head and shoulder photo, it depicts your subject accurately without distortion. For water birds, it is not ideal. If you can get close enough, though, the results can be pleasing.

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Here we had the advantage of a nearby dock that I rowed above while young Dah Doo (her baby sister's nickname for her) handled the camera. As we floated log-like toward the dock and bird we were lucky and did not disturb the egret. Great fun for the grandfather and granddaughter.

If you look closely at the middle image, which was actually taken after the last image, you can see in her bill the lunch she has just plucked from the water. In the last image, you can see her stalking that lunch.

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Next week we will use these warm August days to inspire us to talk about when to visit the desert. All photos and text are copyright Clinton Richardson and DahDoo. :^)

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