As the storm set in I was trapped inside and with no hope of going anywhere. I was growing photographically frustrated. I then looked out a window and found a mourning dove fighting the harsh weather. My frustrations quickly left me as I realized what she had to go through just to survive. I ran for my camera (literally) and flew back to the window. I quickly setup (yet carefully to not disturb her) a soft pair of jeans laying around for some cushion and braced my lens to take photographs. The wind was howling and the light wasn’t there. Shooting steady, rolling your finger to the shutter, and using high speed release was a major key to getting these shots. I played between ISO 640 and 400. I didn’t want to go any higher.

Also although I knew my images would be a tad dark I underexposed .7 in order to get faster speeds anyway.  I would open the exposure later in Capture NX2. Sharing this experience really put things into perspective for me. We often think of ourselves or even other humans, but often many (and sometimes ourselves) forget about an animals daily life. They are fighting for survival with no way to convey that message to us. It’s a strength I admire and hope to gain someday.