My cell phone ringing breaks into my walk on the beach.  What’s this person talking about ... something about?  A nest in a shark or nest at the Shark.  What, where, who.  It was Batman he was watching a bird feeding it’s baby’s in a nest in a shark’s mouth at the Shark restaurant in west O.C.  He said, it was one of those incredible photo ops.  He’d never seen anything like it and I needed to check it out camera ready.  I took a look the next morning and darned if there wasn’t a bird’s nest where he’d said.  I didn’t have the time it required, so I put it on my ‘one of these days’ list.  Great photos are not instant events.  They don’t occur the minute you arrive.  It’s a ‘no rush’ project and there’s usually a right time to be there.  So one afternoon I gave the bird three ACBs time to perform.  I decided a photo of it flying out of the nest would have the impact I wanted.  The nest is on the back porch above the door, quite a ways above eye level, so the interior of nest and baby birds can’t be seen.  Yeah, I could stand on a bar stool above the chilly harbor water, and maybe get a shot of the baby birds in the nest in the mouth of a shark.  I could also get involved in the shot, lean or stretch too far,  topple over the railing, and land in the water or on the dock below.  I had an audience at the bar and who knows, they may enjoy the entertainment.  Or I could wait for the sparrow to come to feed its young and get the shot when it went for more food.  The bird with wings spread wide as it cleared the shark’s teeth would be a great photo.  The sparrow was pretty slick; I never saw it enter the nest, and missed i’s exit in the three chances I got.  I did get several shots of its head amongst the shark’s teeth as it prepared to launch itself out of the mouth. Those pics are in my OC Summer folder at http://picasaweb.google.com/o.c.fotoguy2009.  I’ll try again for a better one.  It may take dozens of visits to get lucky.  Once the baby birds become active and are amongst the sharks teeth could work, too.
    Assignment photography is when I know something is going to occur like the sunrise or sunset, where I know something is going occur, or a wedding or a scheduled family photo on the beach, which I do regularly here in Ocean City.  If you need a photographer for your event, give me a call at 410-289-7339 and check out my webpage at photosasyouwantthem.biz. Most assignments require proper preparation to assure I have the right equipment and ample time to accomplish the task.  I did to catch a Grey Hummingbird with wings spread wide hovering above its nest on the edge of the Cienega Nature Trail in the Village of Aravaca, Ariz., that’s part of Buenos Aires NWR.  I had seen the nest, discovered eggs in it, so I knew the potential spectacular photo op was there, because the bird would return. I also knew I had to be careful not to disturb it too much in its task to keep the eggs warm or they would not hatch.  I checked the nest every couple hours for the next several days and got some pretty good shots, then the stupendous one!  The bird was as curious as me and a couple times flew right up to and hovered in front of my glasses for a good look!  Quite a thrill, but too close for a pic!
    When I’m camped at a place where there are no lights at night in many of our national parks like the Everglades, Big Bend, or Capital Reef, photographing the moon and stars become a priority and, of course, I mark the full and no moon on my calendar.  These photographs are not so tough since the contrast between the bright lights (stars or moon) and the black sky enhances the success of the photos.  A flower, bird or other wildlife in the foreground of a landscape can also make the photo a picture, because it creates elements that draw your eye into it.  I’m always watching for a hawk or large bird perched where I can make it the forefront and if I get lucky, the last photos will be of it in flight.  More times than not, though, it flies directly away from me so the head can’t be seen - bummer!  As with most assignment/event photos there is a right time to be there, as in the everglades.  I’ve seen big cats, bears and lots of rare birds more often in the first couple hours of daylight, but my eyes are always searching for telltale movement in the distance or edges of the trail, and don’t forget to look behind once in a while either, because although you didn’t see it, it saw you and will cross or go the other way after you pass.
    An island near Islamorada in the Florida Keys is full of nesting cormorants, white herons, and egrets, so there’s a flock of Frigate Birds (just another kind of vulture!), that make great photos.  There’s a crocodile near Robby’s Restaurant too.  It’s been sunning itself in the same place in January the last three years that I’ve been there. Oh yeah, the Batman on the other end of the phone call is our ‘night mayor.’ He’s a DJ at Fager’s, Micky Fins, all over town and on Ocean 98.1 Rock Radio noon to 2p on weekends.