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How a Photographer Snuck Under the Wing of a Loon Parent
To capture this image of a concealed loon chick, teenager Carolina Fraser focused on a split-second moment.
Winning the youth category of the 2016 香港六合开奖记录 Photography Awards听was a defining moment in the nascent career of young photographer Carolina Fraser. Along with receiving听national recognition for her talent, she earned a trip to the 香港六合开奖记录听听on Hog Island, Maine. There she met听her current听mentor, photographer Melissa Groo, who has helped听guide Fraser's听path to听.听It was also on Hog Island听where she had her first encounter with Common Loons. "I remember hearing the beautiful calls of the loons that echoed in the mist," she says.听"I took a few photos of one when it drifted close to shore."听 Taken with the听beautiful waterbirds, she hoped to photograph them again one day.听
Two years passed before Fraser, now 18, finally got her chance by attending an听鈥溾 photography workshop in British Columbia鈥檚 Cariboo region. The small, annual workshop provides photographers with rare opportunities to shoot听the birds, which are听highly听sensitive to pollution, development, and motor boats (this is one听reason the workshop doesn't reveal its location). In fact, the species tends to be a听great indicator of water听quality precisely because the birds听breed on pristine, crystal-clear lakes of Canada and the northern United States.听With just a few other boats on the water and a scattering of rural cabins nearby, the photographers and the loons, including their fluffy chicks, shared the calm waters. From her view on the boat's deck, Fraser could see straight through to the bottom of the lake, where aquatic insect larvae were abundant.
Loon chicks are born with their eyes open and covered in buoyant down. They ditch their nest for the water within a couple of days but depend on their parents to grow and learn for the next two-and-a-half months. Chicks often climb onto their parents鈥 backs or tuck under their wings for warmth and protection. In their small boats, staying far away from the birds during this critical time in their lives, the photographers observed these behaviors as the loons busily raised听their young.听
That's听when Fraser听began envisioning a听perspective-bending听shot. 鈥淭he first few times I'd seen the loon inside the parent鈥檚 wing, I had an idea I wanted to get a unique up-close photo of the chick enclosed,鈥 she says.听
She knew she'd have听to be observant and quick. A slight bump听in the parents鈥 feathers was her only clue that a chick was hiding underneath. But like people, birds stretch, giving Fraser a critical opportunity.听Bracing herself against the side of the boat, resting her lens on the gunwale, she patiently waited for her moment. Just as one adult听loon lifted its听wing to reveal a chick, Fraser听snapped听a few quick photos, thankful she鈥檇 brought the long lens听she needed to reach the chick鈥檚 inner world. Later, she slightly cropped the image to completely immerse the viewer.
Fraser, who began taking photos with a family point-and-shoot camera when she was 10, says she enjoyed the challenge of using her zoom to get extra close for this听shot. She also plans to听continue exploring听creative ways to frame听and crop her images.听Whether she wants to pursue a professional career, she doesn't know yet. At the moment, photography听helps get her outside and brings much-needed stress relief听after a busy day of school. For now, that's enough.听