You might be surprised that even after ten years of helping people capture wildlife photos, I still feel nervous about it. The pressure increases even more when I’m assisting a friend who has been eager to photograph something for ages.
We were on the lookout for mountain hares, which have been scarce this winter. Fortunately, I’ve managed to avoid any blank days so far, and our trip to the hills was no exception.
I came across a couple of hares that weren’t being closely watched, and I chose one on the lower slopes. It turned out to be “Smokey,” the hare with the injured eye. At first, I was a bit worried since it tends to run away, but we struck gold.
This hare stayed with us for a couple of hours, grooming itself and munching on some pellets. To top it off, the weather was calm, with mild temperatures. Normally, it’s freezing up on those hills, but we felt quite comfortable.
The relief of getting a client, or in this case, a dear friend, close to their desired subject is fulfilling, but seeing their joy at being near such a creature is truly wonderful and rewarding.
It was a delightful experience.
The hare spent some time with us before eventually hopping off to find another spot to relax.
While I may have captured better images of hares in February or other subjects, this day, this moment, and this feeling are uniquely special and definitely worth sharing.
