Or “How to go to see cranes in Gallocanta en end surrounded by goats”
Go making photos by yourself is cool, but it’s also cool to go accompanied, and if good company better. Over the years I have been going to the mountains accompanied by different people; Photographers, friends, partners, family (why not?). But there is always a little niggle; the amateur photographer want to take the opportunity to learn from your advice (which is not bad but you also want to take pictures), the friend and the partner will endure for a while, but then get cold and bored and want to leave, even when you have not even started shooting. The family… Well, they will get off the car, make a photo with smartfone and if it is daylight and sunny, they may take advantage of the short time for a country walk but if not you will hear the echo of their voice from the car saying “Have you made the Picture?” The photographer is the best one . He understands your photographic process and doesn’t mind staying up til late, but you look closely at askance every time that you find a good frame to check that you have not seen the Holy Grail at the same time.
Finding a photographer colleague is the best choice between those named in the preceding paragraph, but it is very important to find a good one; one that will help you getting up early, one who doen’t get slept at night, one who respects your work and doesn’t take your ideas neither you theirs. To me it has been hard but nowadays I have a few of these and they already know who they are;)
But let’s go to the subject-matter.
A few weeks ago I went to Gallocanta to see the spectacle of the cranes and this time, I joined an old friend who besides of being amateur photographer she is a bird lover. She in turn brought another friend, also with a big aviary heart. What it was my surprise when I saw they didn’t brought any camera (ugh!) but the truth is that I definetly found in them the ideal travel companion. Our schedule was quite similar (sunrises and sunsets included) and even they needed a plenty of time watching every bird we found in order to identify it, while I had my little while to prepare my photograph. And thanks to their knowledge of the subject, the session was doubly satisfying, as well as enjoying photography, I also was learning about what I was portraying.
Everything was great until the goat jokes started. I did not know how, but my fetish animals where chasing me again. I soon realized that the jokes were not for me, but one of my companions, who turned out to be a veterinarian of goats. I know. Coincidences of life. The fact is that from the cranes we went to the goats and gradually we eventually got surrounded by them. Literally. And when the goatsgone we were surprised is the deer, but that’s a story for another day.
Trust me, photographers in the world, put a birder in your life.
Post and photos dedicated to Laura and Sara, see you in the next one!