Chasing Wings: Taking Time to Shoot What You Love (But Don’t Normally Shoot)

Sometimes I get so locked into my routine —portraits, weddings, sportraiture —that I forget why I picked up a camera in the first place. Not just to create, but to explore. To chase the things that make me feel alive. This week, I decided to do exactly that: step out of my usual shooting zone and spend time with something I’ve always love but rarely photograph—osprey in flight.

I’ve always admired birds of prey. Their intensity. The precision of their movements. But wildlife photography never really makes the cut into my regular routine of shooting. I'm just too impatient. I got extremely lucky to stop by a spot i know has some osprey action at this time of year but i've never been so lucky. I had a 90 minute window to kill and the birds acted like i'd sent out a casting call. in 90 minutes i witnessed and captured 22 individual dives plus many other moments of fish in claws from out of sight as the birds return to their nests as they fatten up and prepare for egg laying. Having all the birds out at the same time made a huge difference - once the eggs are hatched at least one bird will be with the nest for a while... 

Enter the Sony A9 III.

This thing is a beast when it comes to autofocus and speed. It was made for moments like this—where everything is in motion and you’ve got fractions of a second to capture something magic. Tracking a fast-moving osprey as it dives toward the water and comes up with a fish? That’s not a casual frame. That’s a moment of chaos-meets-perfection, and the A9 III nailed it again and again.

What surprised me the most wasn’t just how technically easy the camera made it—though that was huge—it was how refreshing the whole experience felt. No pressure. No expectations. Just me, the camera, and the thrill of getting it right when it all came together. And when it didn’t? Still worth it. Because I was chasing something I love.

Here’s the thing: stepping out of your usual photography comfort zone isn’t just about trying something new—it’s about reconnecting with what lights you fall in love in with photography in the first place. We don’t always have to monetize it, perfect it, or post it. Sometimes it’s enough just to shoot for the joy of it. You might just fall in love with photography all over again.

THAT BEING SAID....

With the lightning-fast speed and pinpoint accuracy of the Sony A9 III, I found myself capturing an overwhelming number of stunning shots in every session. It locks onto subjects effortlessly, tracking motion with such precision that nearly every frame is a keeper in spite of the skill level of the photographer. There were some errors. They were mine. I left them in. What starts as a burst of action photos quickly turns into a rich sequence of moments—too many to choose just one. That’s why i started creating hyperlapses. Instead of letting those extra shots sit on a hard drive, I stitch them together, transforming stills into dynamic sequences that bring scenes to life...