The last time I had a “normal” job was my first high school job—at a JCPenney department store. Then, of course, I worked in the camera department. No doubt about it: I am a photographer at heart.
I particularly love nature photography. I first got into shooting wildlife and landscapes in 2019. I was interested in getting some eagles at Jordan Lake, a reservoir in Chatham County, North Carolina, not far from my home. That first day was humbling. I was a rookie at shooting birds in flight, and it showed. So that’s what I practiced for the next year, taking any chance to hone the craft. Some days, I didn’t get anything. But who cares? I was still hiking in the woods! Over time, I got pretty good at it. You can see some of my eagle images on this website.
Once, I watched a remarkable battle between an eagle and an osprey fighting for prey. After the osprey snatched a fish from the water, an eagle swooped down to steal the meal. In many of these fights, the osprey will give up and drop the fish in 30 seconds. But this particular contest lasted 4-5 minutes. It was like a “Top Gun” dog fight—a genuine struggle for life right before my camera. It was awesome.
I’m not just interested in eagles. I’m a twitcher and love catching rare birds on film. I’ve photographed 500 different bird species in North America, and four hundred of them are featured on my Instagram account (@eddeburgessphotography), which I started in 2020. For each of those photos, I can tell you exactly where I was, when I took it, and how hard it was to get the bird. For me, each one is a new victory— like a fighter pilot putting another plane with an “X” through it on the side of his jet.
The most challenging birds to capture on film are warblers. They’re fast and rarely seem to be in perfect light. But that’s what makes them fascinating to me. It’s the thrill of the chase. I want to get something that someone else can’t.
I don’t limit myself to birds, though. I love chasing all sorts of wildlife—bears, red wolves, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, you name it. You can see a lot of these photos on my website.
In 2019, I road-tripped to Antelope Canyon, a wonderfully scenic destination. As I edited my photos later in a local coffee shop, a young boy saw the images and said, “That’s Antelope Canyon. You should go to my aunt’s canyon.” His aunt owned a lesser-known canyon nearby that is even more picturesque. I picked out a game trail and had an amazing day, getting plenty of great material, all thanks to a random encounter at a coffee shop. I love moments like that.
When shooting wildlife, you can’t just stroll into the woods and expect to get standout images of big-game animals. There’s a certain level of skill, knowledge, and setup involved. I often find a game trail and sit off to the side, making myself into a live camera trap. Game trails are great for picking up large game because the animals make regular circuits. With bears, for instance, they typically move just after dawn or late in the day, and you can see where they’ve walked back and forth. But you’ll never hear them, even if they’re 10 feet from you. This has created several close calls!
Once, I was shooting mountain goats in Glacier National Park in Montana. As I moved higher, suddenly I turned around, and there was a grizzly 20 feet from me. “Fight or flight” is real … but so is the desire to capture powerful grizzly images! So I slowly backed away to a safer distance, snapped a few shots, and got out of there. Fortunately, she didn’t follow.
Another time, I was walking back to my car at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina when suddenly I saw an 800-pound black bear standing upright, only about seven feet from me. He was an older bear, and I was downwind, so I don’t think he could see or smell me. I snapped some shots of him at a safer distance and then got into the safety of my car. Talk about an adrenaline rush!
I don’t get paid for nature shots. (Although I sell nature prints at local photography shows in Raleigh.) I do it because I love it. The payment is the experience. My wife calls it “nature bathing.” It helps my brain relax.
With nature photography, I love capturing a moment that speaks to me. Some people go into the woods and take 6,000 pictures. If I get 250 shots on a wildlife day, that’s pushing it. I want to take that one perfect shot.
I want to think I’ve gotten a few.