Juvenile Bald Eagle Taking Flight

I almost didn’t go out yesterday, but it had been a while since I’d done any afternoon shooting, so I made myself go. As I was walking toward a tree, I could have sworn this bird was an owl at first. Its head was turned around and tucked down in just the right way to fool me. Once I got a little closer though, I realized it was actually a juvenile bald eagle.

I grabbed a few safety shots, then bumped up my shutter speed because I had a feeling it might take off as I got closer. Sure enough, less than five seconds later, it launched from the perch and I started firing away. I ended up catching this beautiful moment with its wings spread wide in that perfect late afternoon light, and with the blue sky behind it, everything came together just right.