General Information:

Down by the old railroad bridge that crosses the Penobscot River from Bangor into Brewer, Maine lives a majestic bald eagle and its young family.  Capturing an eagle on camera never seems to get old, but, interestingly, is not the point of posting this picture.(Read more about bald eagles here.)

The point of this posting involves the look, learn, see experience of the photographer with a local resident.  Standing at his tripod with his various pieces of equipment sitting nearby, the photographer noticed an older gentleman approaching him from the north.  Bangor serves as home to a sizeable portion of Eastern Maine’s homeless population.  The railroad bed running up the river is spotted with tents and makeshift shelters during certain parts of the year.

The gentleman approaching lived at one of those encampments.  His clothes tattered, his face wrinkled with indications of extended exposure to the elements, the Bangor resident approached the photographer who was not quite sure what the encounter would bring.

“What’re you doin’,” the man grumbled in a raspy voice.

Gesturing towards the eagle, the photographer replied, “Just getting some pictures of the eagle.”

The homeless gentleman stepped within arms reach of the photographer, eyeing the equipment and the camera on the tripod, and exclaimed, “well let me tell you something.”  The man reached into his pocket, fumbled around a little bit, and pulled out a cell phone.  “This is just one place you can find the eagles.  In the morning, they like to hang out down by the foot bridge behind the driving school.  I like to get up early and go down there and watch them as often as I can.”  The man proceeded to flip through scores of pictures of the eagles, and other subjects as he exhibited his work to the photographer.

Clearly, the man enjoyed the connection with nature he felt while taking pictures.  The second spot to which he referred is about a mile to a mile and a half walk from where the two men stood talking.  Getting up early enough to make it to the spot on foot by sunrise demonstrated a remarkable dedication to observing and imaging his favorite feathered friends.  The photographer and the gentleman spent the next 15 minutes discussing the eagles and other good places in Bangor to capture photos. The friendly gentleman then wondered off to pursue the rest of his day.

The joy of photography goes well beyond capturing a spectacular or unique image.  The real joy of photography often lies in the experience itself.

For all who come to the figurative Table Round of photographers, the magic happens when one takes the time to look, learn, and then see.

Technical Points of Interest