Cliff Dwellers

Here, on a moody day in Cape Kiwanda, I hiked up the cliffs to explore the lesser explored backside of the famed rock formations. I sat for an hour watching these Cormorants as they'd swiftly and directly dive to the ocean floor a hundred or so feet below. These dives less less than a minute or so. Once they hit the crashing waves, they swim underwater propelled by their wings foraging for small fish. They quickly return to the safety of the high cliffs, dry off and go about it all over again. Unbridled patience and determination. Akin to what it took me to get a shot like this. It's not merely about clicking a shutter. It's composing a shot, observing and studying the birds behavior, timing the waves, waiting for the birds to sit upright and capturing a big of their life in one fleeting moment of time. It's what I love about wildlife photography. You have to connect with the animals and the place. It's a real-time classroom. It's cathartic.