Searching for the Golden Eagle – Day 4 and 5

The time to leave has arrived. We are heading back to Skelleftea airport this morning and... yes it's a gorgeous day without a single cloud in the sky. Grrrr. Of course: when we are leaving it's going to be a beautiful day with perfect photographic conditions. Oh, well, that's how it goes.

Yesterday, on the contrary, it was the worst day, weather-wise. It's been overcast for the whole time, with really little light. Our last chance and hope to take good shots of the golden eagle was a little disappointing. Not because we didn't see the birds, but because it was very challenging to shoot them.

Since the early morning, our friends the woodpecker, the squirrel and the little birds kept us company until the eagles came.

             EOS 5D Mark II – Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM f/5.6 1/100sec ISO 2500

             EOS 5D Mark II – Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM f/5.6 1/160sec ISO 2500 +0.33

             EOS 5D Mark II – Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM f/5.6 1/80sec ISO 2500 +1

Yes, we had a decent number of visits, but the light was too bad. I shot anyway, but the very high ISO turned out to heavy digital noise that killed all the details in the pictures.

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF200-400mm f/4L IS USM EXT@560mm f/5.6 1/40sec ISO 8000

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF200-400mm f/4L IS USM EXT@560mm f/5.6 1/80sec ISO 8000 +0.67

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF200-400mm f/4L IS USM EXT@560mm f/5.6 1/100sec ISO 8000 +0.67

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF200-400mm f/4L IS USM EXT@560mm f/5.6 1/50sec ISO 6400

In the evening, after another deliciously awesome dinner cooked by Catarina, we lived a 30-minute drama when we found out our Lufthansa flight had been cancelled because of a two-day strike. We got on the phone for a wait that seemed to last forever but finally we were able to change the flight going this time through Switzerland. It turned out to be a much longer trip, but at least we were able to find a flight.

Conny had offered to bring us to see the forest were Ally shot the Siberian Jay a few days ago and relieved then, after securing our flights, we got ready to go out for some night photography. The sky was now perfectly clear and we were looking forward to some nice shots in the forest.

The experience was great. The two-hundred-year-old forest, next to the icy river, was lit by the Moon and its rays were reflecting on the ice. No photo can really make you live the same way when you experience that in person. The view was fantastic.

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM @17mm f/6.3 25sec ISO 3200

                          EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM @17mm f/10.0 30sec ISO 6400

                          EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM @29mm f/11.0 13sec ISO 1600

It's time. We say goodbye to Ally and Conny as they go to the hide for another day, and we go to take our luggage.

The trip will be ok, apart still some problems with our luggage not able to fit on board the last Swiss Air very busy flight, but in the end we'll get home safe and sound.

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM @24mm f/10.0 1/1600sec ISO 1600

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM @40mm f/10.0 1/8000sec ISO 1600

It's been a very good experience, despite the photographic results a little below our expectations – you can't command Nature, it's part of the game. This "adventure" gave us the possibility to meet great people and to get to know a place where we want to go back. November is probably not the best time, light-wise, so next time we'll try to plan better, if we can.

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM @24mm f/5.0 1/60sec ISO 800

We thank Conny Lundström for the help and guidance he gave us during this experience. He shared his 25-year experience as a nature photographer and his deep knowledge about those wonderful birds that are the golden eagles. His pictures won international prizes and have been published in famous nature photography magazines.

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM @24mm f/4.0 1/5sec ISO 4000 +1.67

Searching for the Golden Eagle – Day 2

After a few hours of sleep, we woke up this morning excited for the first "real" day of the eagle adventure. We meet at 5:30am for breakfast to be ready to leave at 6:00am. It's still dark and it's important to arrive on the site before the morning light, not to be seen by the birds that might be controlling their territory.

Valerio and I have to manage with what we have in our carry-ons, since our luggage didn't come in, yesterday. Luckily Sabrina got hers. The weather is not great but not too bad either and we get onto Conny's truck to head to the hide. After leaving the car, a short walk brings us to a marsh area, now covered in a white icy-frosty layer and there we'll wait for the eagles.

We receive Conny's last instructions on how to "behave" and after setting all the camera equipment, we just sit waiting for the dawn, half sleeping, half thinking at what to expect from the day.
Today (and for the rest of the stay) with us is awesome British photographer Ally Hensen. She's been photographing the Siberian jay in the past couple of days and she is now turning her attention to the eagles. This is not the first time she's been here and she hopes for more good pictures from this trip.

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM f/5.6 1/160sec ISO 1600

             EOS 5D Mark II – Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM f/5.6 1/200sec ISO 1250 +0.33


Soon the tits start making us hear their voices, as they approach: Great tit, Willow tit, Blue tit come to look for food. As soon as the light is enough, we start concentrating on these little birds while waiting for the eagles. Not only tits, but also a squirrel stops by, as well as a European jay and woodpeckers. In particular Great spotted woodpeckers and a species I had never seen before, the Grey-headed woodpecker. The latter is very elegant and I try to take a good picture since it's my first. It is still pretty dark, though and I need to push the ISO quite a bit... I am afraid a lot of noise will result because of that.

             EOS 5D Mark II – Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM f/5.6 1/20sec ISO 800 -0.33

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM f/5.6 1/200sec ISO 1600


Hours pass by, and light is better now. A Bullfinch comes too, it's beautiful and against the white backdrop it really reminds me of a Christmas postcard. The Great spotted woodpecker keeps coming to pounder the perch to get food and though we have seen it many times, it's always a pleasure to admire this bird. Unfortunately we can't keep very fast shutter speeds, and any attempts to take photos in flight results in something blurry.

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM f/5.6 1/100sec ISO 1250 +1

             EOS 5D Mark II – Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM f/5.6 1/125sec ISO 1600 +0.67

             EOS 5D Mark II – Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM f/5.6 1/160sec ISO 1250

But suuddenly, here it is! Not a Golden eagle, but a White-tail eagle lands on a tree nearby. We can only see the silhouette against the sky: it's really huge, even from that distance. We hope it can get closer and in better light, but our hopes are invain since the eagle flys away after some time, not to return.

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM  @47mm f/5.0 1/200sec ISO 640

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 200-400 mm f/4L IS USM EXT @526 mm f/8.0 1/125sec ISO 1000

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM  f/5.6 @526mm 1/200sec ISO 1250

             EOS 5D Mark II – Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM f/5.6 1/250sec ISO 2000 +0.33


No more eagles for the rest of the day... We spend the time photographing the other birds. The European jay particularly attracts our attention because it's darker than the specimen we have in Italy, and it's very nice.

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM f/5.6 1/125sec ISO 2000

The sun is setting and our second day is going to be over soon. The clouds leave room to a wonderful sunset and we enjoy it with admiration and of course we do not miss to take some shots.

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM f/4.5 1/160sec ISO 1000 +1.33

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM @58mm f/4.5 1/160sec ISO 1000 +1.33

Once the light is down, we silently retrieve all the equipment and store it back in our backpacks, and then we wait till is dark enough to leave and head back to the truck.

The day didn't go exactly as we expected. Yes we did se an eagle but couldn't take a single shot of it. We all look at tomorrow as another chance, with the hope of a more successful outcome.

And after dinner, we are out again for some night photography. We ask Conny if it's possible to find an interesting spot with some elements that can enrich the scene and he suggests we go up to the mountain where the old watching tower is. We walk up for fifteen minutes in a wonderful wood, completely frozen in sparkling silver dust.
You should know that Conny is rather tall, 1.90 meters, and it's not easy to keep up with him when he walks, even when he "walks slowly".

Once at the top, we take some shots of the horizon, building the scene with the pine trees and keeping in the foreground a cabin where Conny lit some candles and a fire in the stove. The Northern Light is very moderate, less than yesterday, but it still gives us a nice green light in the background.

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM@17mm f/4.0 30sec ISO3200 - tripod

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM@17mm f/6.3 30sec ISO5000 - tripod

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM@17mm f/6.3 30sec ISO5000 - tripod

Searching for the Golden Eagle – Day 1

The Golden eagle. Beautiful, strong, majestic, iconic. A dream for many nature photographers. One of my dreams as well.

We leave from Malpensa early in the morning, Sabrina, Valerio and myself, to start our adventure in the search of the eagle. Our destination, Kalvträsk, Sweden. There we'll spend three full days with Conny who will guide us in this endeavour.

After three flights and 8 hours, after begging Lufthansa crew to let us bring the heavy camera equipment on-board, after missing our luggage that remained in Frankfurt, we finally arrive in Skelleftea, the closest airport to the little village that will be our home-base. 

There is Conny's wife,  Catarina, who is so nice to have come to the airport to pick us up; we drive two hours into the forest – apart a little stop to get some supplies in Burträsk – until we get to Kalvträsk.

Not all the time will be dedicated to the eagles, because the sun sets very early and is already dark at 3:30pm, so one other goal of this trip is to photograph the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. So, despite the long journey out here, after a very good pasta dinner we are already ready to go out for some night photography. Before going, we do not know if we'll see the the Northern Lights, the activity is expected moderate, but the sky is clear and the stars are bright against the dark celestial sphere, so we are sure we will not regret this.

Two other photographers from England are here and almost ready to leave, but tonight they join the group for one last shooting session and all the 5 of us, plus Conny behind the wheel, get onto his 4-wheel drive truck, and head outside the village. Along the road it looks like we were in a Christmas winter land fairy tale: everything is frosted and sparkling in front of the car's lights. Once we get to the place, we unload our tripods and set to take pictures of the Milky Way. It's cold but bearable.

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF17-40mm f/4L USM@22mm f/4.0 25sec ISO3200 - tripod

We start shooting at the stars but soon the sensors of our cameras start picking some green reflections over the horizon, so we concentrate our attention there. The phenomenon keeps changing, sometimes with red flashes, sometimes with vertical or horizontal  light designs. The naked eye can't really see all the colors, because the activity is low, 2-3 on a scale of 9, but the powerful sensors of the cameras can record this wonderful expression of Nature. 

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF17-40mm f/4L USM@17mm f/4.0 15sec ISO3200 - tripod

 I wish Denise could be here with me, but she could have never "survived" the cold temperature we will go through in the next few days and nights. 

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF17-40mm f/4L USM@17mm f/6.3 30sec ISO3200 - tripod

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF17-40mm f/4L USM@17mm f/5.0 25sec ISO2000 - tripod

When the activity slows down, we decide to get back, since tomorrow we'll have to leave before dawn. Even though its intensity was not high, experiencing the Norther Lights for the first time it's been very exciting.

The Moon

After the... "stars", some shots of the moon.

I did take pictures of the moon in the past, but I am trying to experiment a little more, now. It's fascinating to look at a full moon and photograph it, but I like to concentrate more on the other lunar phases, because the details that are highlighted by the casted shadows created by the angle of the sun light, make our satellite much more interesting.

Also, the moon by itself can be a good composition for close ups, when the craters become more visible, or when its color is different, but being able to frame the moon in a scene including other elements usually is a great potential for interesting shots. That often brings challenges for the exposure because it's very likely that you'll have to handle the brightness of the heavenly body vs the darkness of the environment in the same shot – typically a scene with clouds and the moon in the frame. A double exposure is usually helpful to handle that in an easy way.

If you don't have a telescope, the best way to get close is a good combination super-telephoto + teleconverter, possibly a 2X. If you could get up to 800mm + 2X = 1600mm, that would allow you to get pretty close. But watch out for blurry photos because of the movement: use a sturdy tripod and fast shutter times, and – especially if you need to be slower when the moon is not that bright – push your forehead/eye to the camera and put your free hand above the center of the telephoto, to stop vibrations. I usually try to stay as low as possible with ISO, to reduce the digital noise on the moon surface, but of course that means a slower shutter speed.

Below are a few shots taken in the past few months. Still a long way to go, but I like them as first results. I like the one where I was able to take also the dark side of the moon. I shot 7 different exposures to be sure to capture every element of the scene but in the end I used only two of them and worked them together in Lightroom from a RAW format.

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 200-400 mm f/4L IS USM EXT @560mm f/5.6 1/100sec ISO640 - tripod

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 200-400 mm f/4L IS USM EXT + 2x III@800mm f/8.0 1/30sec ISO400 - tripod

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 200-400 mm f/4L IS USM EXT @560mm f/5.6 1/20-1/320sec ISO2000 - tripod

             EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF 200-400 mm f/4L IS USM EXT + 2x III@700mm f/8.0 1/400sec ISO640 - tripod