A strange bird the Pelican…

For my trip to Greece to photograph the Dalmatian Pelicans of Lake Kerkini I did what you should never do as a photographer – I bought a new lens for a mission-critical project without having used it at all first. That’s a high-risk strategy. One might even say I had a Cavalier disregard for the potential outcome, should your references be largely based around historical terms to denigrate the opposition in the English Civil War.

There I was, using my new 14 – 30 mm focal length lens for the first time, lying on a yoga mat at the edge of the lake, waiting for Pelicans to come parading by. And they did, in great numbers. Clearly, fish are a significant inducement.

I was delighted with this otherworldly shot of three Dalmatian Pelicans competing for a fish in front of my face. I don’t think I could have got a closer shot if I had balanced the fish on the end of my lens.

Dalmatian Pelican at Lake Kerkini - The Hall of Einar - photograph © David Bailey (not the)

I will now always carry a lens cloth in an easily accessible pocket, since my camera was subjected to several direct hits of lake water. I’m grateful that the front element of my new lens not only has the ability to hold a lens filter to protect it but that I also bought one and fitted it just in time for the trip.

Such intensive use of my camera has bred an easier familiarity with its controls. I now know that the sensitive touchscreen can be activated by drops of water. I have also inadvertently checked that the battery compartment is at least water resistant if not totally waterproof after bathing the bottom of my camera in a Pelican-induced wave.

It was all worth it, don’t you think?

And that risky new lens worked out just fine.