Pine Martin Waking
©2004 Ed Book
I made this image at Northwest Trek, in the Cascade Mtn foothills a part of the Tacoma Zoo which has many wild animals of the northwest in as natural an area as a zoo can provide. They have a sort of tunnel for humans that has windows into the dens of a few woodland animals like beaver, racoon, martin, badger, and otter. It's very dark so as to maintain the den darkness so most of the photographs must be very long exposures - tripod mounted - no artifical light added. The beavers moved too much to get a sharp image but I tried some to document the blind father beaver teaching three kits how to chew twigs. One of the kits kept trying to sit up like pop and kept falling in the water. The martin was cooperating by sleeping. It opened it's eye just as I tripped the shutter - then shut it again and went back to sleep. The highlight in the eye is from a reflection of the light at the end of the tunnel behind me. Camera: Nikon F4, Lens 70-300 mm, I may have pushed the film a couple stops - I'll have to check my notes.. yeah right notes - I probably have notes about this image made at the time of image making - they are probably on microcassette tape in a box on a shelf in the office-den-library room - somewhere
Peace