The REALITY of Wildlife Photography as a Beginner // Photographing Bald Eagles in Washington

In this video I take you along for a winter day photographing bald eagles in northern Washington state. In truth, I DID get some decent photos of eagles on this trip. However my general experience was disappointing, and at the end of this video I share some ideas about how I could have done better and what I learned.
I did rent the well known Canon EF 100-400mm II lens to use on my crop sensor Canon DSLR, which gave me a little more reach when photographing from a distance.
If you enjoyed this video, give it a Like and if you want to see more, SUBSCRIBE to the channel. Thanks for watching!
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00-0:22 Preview
0:22-2:20 The Skagit River
2:20-4:34 Location Scouting
4:34-7:53 Juvenile Eagles!
7:53-9:32 The Nooksack River
9:32-12:10 Frustrations
12:10-13:04 Final Attempts
13:04-15:56 Lessons Learned
15:56-16:27 Outro
MY PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR:
**Buy used/ refurbished when possible**
- Canon EOS R8 Mirrorless Camera (tinyurl.com/2wzekr3d)*
- Canon RF 100-400mm Lens (tinyurl.com/bd3297ya)
- Canon RF 24-50mm Lens (tinyurl.com/2vzxt4xh)
- Canon EOS Rebel T7i DSLR Camera (tinyurl.com/mtbu644m)
- Canon EF-S 55-250mm Lens (tinyurl.com/3maewe9k)
- Canon EF-S 10-18mm Lens (tinyurl.com/4fbj39kr)
- Manfrotto 290 Light Tripod (tinyurl.com/yc44238f)
- Sirui Tripod Ball Head (tinyurl.com/bddy6y8e)
- 3 Legged Thing L-bracket (tinyurl.com/4ctfufva)
- SanDisk ExtremePRO 128GB SD Card (tinyurl.com/yc45p5r3)
- Shimoda Explore V2 25 Camera Backpack (tinyurl.com/5a5abxm3)
*Note: TinyURL (not me) may receive an affiliate commission if you purchase an item through the links above.
RECOMMENDED LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY RESOURCES:
- Milanote (for visual trip planning online)
- Clear Outside app (for visibility and cloud conditions)
- Sun's path (technically "Sun position and path")
- NOAA.gov / WillyWeather.com (detailed weather pattern info)
- AllTrails app / website (for maps of trails)
- Google Maps
- NPS.gov (National Parks Service)
- Custom Correct Maps (printed maps sold at REI and other outdoors stores)
MUSIC:
**All music is from Epidemic Sound.**
Artists include Gavin Luke, David Celeste, and Jon Bjork.

[@jasontanner2163]

If you think eagles are tough, wait until you try owls. :) You've got the right attitude about it though. You might also consider avoiding such specific goals as "eagles in action" at this stage. Being a little more open-ended like "how many species can I photograph today" can make any trip enjoyable even if you miss the target bird. For eagles in particular, they'll sit in a tree doing nothing for hours. But they get a lot more active and predictable in nesting season. They reuse the previous year's nest more often than not. That means once you know about an accessible nest you can put yourself in position for pretty much any kind of eagle shot you can imagine. Early in the season they'll be dropping to the ground nearby to pick up sticks for nest maintenance allowing for lots of eye level shots. Then when eggs are laid there will be routine landing/take-off trade-offs between the pair while the other goes out to eat. And eventually when there are eaglets there will be constant food deliveries from a predictable direction. They'll also typically fish at a consistent spot within a few miles of the nest and beeline to/from it so you have a decent idea of where it is. If it's accessible, then you can set up there and get all your predatory shots too. Consider swapping to the mirrorless for shooting for the all-important subject detection and FPS. Opportunities are so fleeting that you don't want to risk missing it because you didn't lock focus or got bad wing position choices because you were shooting at 6FPS instead of 30. Use your DSLR or even phone for filming. The 100-400 is fine for mammals but a little short for birds on a full frame without the overpriced 1.4 TC. If you can find a way to swing it, the 800/F11 is a good starter lens and very reasonable used. And lastly, join up with your local Audubon's Society for some of their field trips. Learning from their experience and making friends will pay huge dividends over time. Do that, and I guarantee you'll eventually get a message from someone about something amazing happening at location X right NOW that you'd never find out about without building a network. Good luck! -J "I know bird-fu!": macaulaylibrary.org/asset/279805661

[@liamminerYT]

Wow! What an incredible comment - thank you. You’re absolutely right, my expectations were wayyy too high. But I learn quick. :) And I love your suggestion about learning where the nest is because they’ll keep going back. I’m thinking of making another trip up to the Nooksack River in Washington as that place seems to have some better viewpoints than the Skagit, and I’ll lookout for nests. And I mostly do landscapes, so the 100-400 RF is what I’m stuck with - but on occasion I could rent a larger mirrorless telephoto. That will for sure happen in the future. Thank you again - awesome tips.

[@HarryCollinsPhotography]

I've been a professional wildlife photographer and videographer for a long time now and these frustrations never go away, but that's what makes the good moments worth it when they happen.

[@liamminerYT]

If only I knew the amount of patience that is required for wildlife photography. WHOLE different ball game.

[@mylifeandhobby2716]

Nice that you live out there you should try a camouflage tent next time. I went to take pictures of ducks yesterday which there were plenty of but didn’t like any of my pictures

[@liamminerYT]

@@mylifeandhobby2716 That is a very good idea!!

[@HalMoran]

Stay at it, Liam. Trust me, it's not like shooting fish in a barrel - no pun intended. I'd also suggest investing in some camo clothes or netting if you are able.

[@liamminerYT]

Thanks for the encouragement! I am looking into that sort of thing. Definitely want to be able to blend into the environment better.

[@MonteDuncan-uo8lx]

Nice video Liam! Wildlife photography is HARD. It is also fun, rewarding, addictive, and expensive. Since you live in WA, consider going to the Spokane area and Higgins Point at lake Couer d'Alene from mid-November through January. You will be able to get much closer to eagles there. It is sometimes difficult and requires patience to get one in a position where they are on the level with you, but it is doable if you spend some time there and cover the Higgins Point area and around that end of the lake. You can hike around Higgins Point and shoot up at eagles in the trees just above you all day long, just don't let a fish bone hit you in the face. When you have a chance, invest in a larger heavy-duty tripod and head. Ideally, a wildlife tripod should not have an unstable center post. If it does, the position it needs to be in is all the way down. And as others have stated, a 1.4x extender will work great with either of those lenses you mentioned.

[@David_Quinn_Photography]

These photos are great take what you can and have fun with it, animals are tricky. I love the adult in the dead tree.

[@liamminerYT]

A great reminder! Thank you for watching. :)

[@johnnyguerra3754]

The title of this video grabbed my attention. As a beginner my self I had to watch. Great video with all the facts of the reality of what happens in the field.

[@liamminerYT]

Thanks for the comment! Yeah the reality check hits pretty hard I think, especially with bird photography.

[@gerhardbotha7336]

Great clip. I live on a small holding- 11 acres with a fair bit of savannah: thorn trees and grass. I have more shots from here now ( owls, hawks, even an eagle, many birds, small mammals …) because I am always here. I know the animals here. I know where they nest, hunt, court… When I go to s national park etc, I don’t. It is much harder there.

[@user-vt5pu5lm2m]

The 100-400 is a great lens but it's too short to reliably shoot eagles. At a minimum pair it with a 1.4x teleconverter.

[@jimtipton8888]

Much enjoyed and greetings from Spokane. ! I appreciate everything you said. The east end of lake Coeur D Alene is another eagle hot spot in late November and December. Totally agree, eagles are a challenging subject. Best I did this year was a juvenile perched in a tree at eye level about 20' away with a clear line of site. That was pretty cool!

[@liamminerYT]

Hello from over the mountains! I have heard of CDA mentioned quite a lot with eagles! Now I know of a few places to try! And yes, December is going to be my new eagle month this year. Seems they arrive in the largest numbers early on in the season. That sounds like a special moment!

[@stevevilic8950]

Good video , Keep your camera in your hands when walking about, That way you stand a better chance of not missing a shot.

[@liamminerYT]

Fair point!!

[@johnrobertsonphotography]

That's a beautiful area. Bald Eagles can be frustrating to photograph. Especially to get them in flight. Well, I guess the same can be said about all wildlife. Keep up the good work, I just subscribed. I'll be out in the PNW in a few weeks on my next photography trip.

[@liamminerYT]

Thanks very much, John! I just watched one of your recent owl videos and some of the tips resonated with me. Where are you headed in the PNW?

[@johnrobertsonphotography]

@@liamminerYT Thanks for subscribing and the comment, my KZbin skills are still developing. Yours are well done, I can tell you spend some time on them or you are a natural. Anyway, I travel the west coast and mountain states often....my next trip is I will be going to Yellowstone, possibly Tetons (I've been to both multiple times) and then straight over to the coast, then down to San Diego to spend time with my son. I don't have exact dates....probably leave next week.

[@TheRealTonyCastillo]

Just went out today to shoot some birds, wasn't expecting to see any Eagles, was hoping too and to my suprise just driving down a highway by my town there was one in a tree, it seen me park and get out and as I was raising my camera up it laughed at me and flew off. Landed some distance from me in a tree, but had better visual access than before and got some decent shots. Seen two more flying randomly some time later. Cold freeze came through last week and froze all the local lakes where I have seen them before. Best shots I have taken of Eagles was just as the local lakes were thawing and they were hunting where the water had melted. Had one wide shot last year with 12 Eagles in it doing different things. I'm in SE Nebraska so tough to find them once the lakes thaw. They're just tough birds to shoot sometimes. I bought that RF 100-400 you have and it's a great lens, but not the best when overcast and it's easy to shoot past the lenses limit. Had bought a Sigma 150-600 for my 90D ways back and it performed well on my R7 and the 600MM was nice, but at times it wasn't long enough to shoot the Eagles that were out in the middle of the half frozen lakes. I'm now pairing the RF200-800 with my R7 and R6MII, the lens is amazing, more reach than the RF100-500 and costs less, great AF and comparatively almost as sharp as the 100-500 that one couldn't tell a difference I don't think. I run weather radar apps on my phone to view satellite images of clouds and storms/rain. I don't like getting my gear wet so not a true die hard get in the mud wildlife shooter.

[@lauramaeda7214]

Beautiful scenery. Beautiful view of the eagle. I do not have the patience to take these kinds of photos. Plus i am so not fond of cold weather. When i am sufficiently cold, i have no issues about going home. And with the weather we are currently experiencing, i may not be outside for a long time.

[@liamminerYT]

It tested my patience for sure! And yes, when the weather is like this I don't last long either! Haha

[@baristajord]

Wonderful video Liam! Hope to improve my skills with video :) Came across your channel when searching for hearing loss. I've have a loss on my left side due to cholesteatoma. Had it removed 7 years ago. Just got myself ite hearing aid!

[@liamminerYT]

Thanks for your comment! I hope the hearing aid is working out for you so far!!

[@loodusfoto3099]

Have you tried a popup-hide? They are light and easy to carry if hiking distance is not too long ;)

[@liamminerYT]

I have seen these, yes. Considering them for the future!

[@Ericbjohnston5150]

I don't worry about shooting distance. I carry my rig, a 7dmk2 and siggy 150-600 on a cotton carrier chest rig. I can fire off rushed shots within a couple seconds A holster carries a siggy 70-200 on a 5Dmk4 for closer critters. I dont mind slow action times, I just sit and suck in nature.

[@liamminerYT]

Awesome setup. :)

[@DavidC-rt3or]

If you get a chance, go to Haines, Alaska in Nov for the late salmon run and thousands of bald eagles. You'll will see them like you described walking around and maybe even air to air combat. Likely would see ones coming down to take fish away from another etc

[@liamminerYT]

Thanks for that recommendation. That would be incredible to see.

[@davepastern]

400mm too short, even on a crop body. Sorry. Camo for the lens and a ghillie suit for yourself may help. Stay quiet, stay low, move slowly. Try renting a 600f4 RF and 1.4x TC (also RF of course) for your MLC body. It'll be heavier, but you'll get better shots imho. You can go to an area that has a reputation for animals etc, but you can just get there on a day where it's not happening. That's wildlife photography for you . Keep visiting, keep trying, you'll get there. Pro tip - approach said birds with camera raised up to the face/eyes. It seems to scare them less than if you approach with the camera down. You did OK!

[@liamminerYT]

I agree! It was a good learning experience. I actually just picked up some camo fabric stuff that I will try out. :) Thanks for the comment!

[@jimbird963]

The art of wildlife photography is getting them in compromising conditions- Seattle has a bay near it in June the eagles congregate there that’s where you get shots

[@liamminerYT]

I will keep this in mind, for sure!!