Expanding the senses (to enhance wildlife photography)

Last summer, after days of unbearable and oppressive heat and without air, a night storm finally lowered the temperature and brought back gusts of fresh wind.

After the prolonged static, the sky returns to bursting with life, with the migratory flow resuming its course and the birds of prey that can finally glide in circle in search of prey.

But for us, poor bipeds, the sky is still a too large territory to explore, even with a glance: we must be attentive, sharpen our eyes, and perceive even the slightest movement.

Leaning against the car, while I still scan that clear ocean, I catch a shadow moving fast on the lawn in front of my eye. It’s a moment: I grab the camera, take two steps and turn back over the tops of the trees that formed my dome.

Here it is: the golden eagle soars fast without flapping wings, following the currents of the wind. She looks at me, comes to check closely and then disappears quickly, leaving me down here, small and helpless, yet smiling.

I stand staring at the void, motionless, while I think:

“If I can’t reach the sky, all I have to do is expand my senses: it’s the only means I have to capture these moments.”