Heightened Awareness

Goshawk - Near St. Albert, Alberta

Beautiful late afternoon winter light. But the eye, makes the shot.

Mountain Goats - Kerkeslin Goat Lick, Idefields Parkway

If one set of eyes is good, two is even better. Two doubles the intimacy of the moment.

Scarface - Elk Island National Park

A nice shot of a coyote. We have texture and eyes and the scar adds some character . And this coyote is looking.

Grizzly - Lake Louise

Same bear, same location, same light. Different photograph. While the bear continues to eat, he is looking at me. We have a connection. For the moment, everything is okay. If the bear moves or I move, we both know we are into a different situation, a different moment. But for now...this bear and I have a connection that I will never forget.

Young Red Fox, Beaver Hills, Alberta

To stare into those eyes is both a wonder and a responsibility.

Imperious!

Same eagle, both eyes and we have a connection. A more interesting and more powerful image because of the connection. This is a wild eagle who was drying off on a rock at French Beach on Vancouver Island, after a night of rain. Note how his neck feathers are just beginning to change.

Bald Eagle - French Beach, Vancouver Island

Texture is nice, detail on the powerful beak if interesting, eyes are good.

Expression!

I found this young grizzly bear, early one morning, along the Kananaskis Highway. Grizzlies love to eat dandelions in the spring. We have some texture, both rough and smooth and we have eye highlights. And from those eyes, or maybe it's the eye brows, we have a mournful expression.

Snow Leopard

A snow leopard in captivity at Al Oeming's Polar Park east of Sherwood Park, from around 1980. It was a brutally cold winter’s day. We have light, frosty breath and eye highlights. And yes, we have a connection. I fact, we have more than a connection, we have communication. "Get away from me, or I am going to eat you"! Powerful and beautiful.