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 Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 12:38 pm
The ad was a simple one.
Do you have a pet? Are they pretty enough to take a picture of?
Castille Brenna is looking for subjects!
TFP situation (Time for Pictures)
Interested? Contact her at xxx-xxxx
The ad had drawn a couple responses. Mostly people with dogs that they wanted pictures of, and one person with a cat. But when she had recieved a phone call about someone with larger birds of prey, Castille got excited. She had never been able to shoot more interesting animals besides at the zoo. The bars always made the pictures look sad. She wanted majestic! They set up a time, and Castille waited.
She stood in the middle of the park, where the think layer of snow was mostly undisturbed. Her camera was already around her neck, the eyepiece pressed to her face while she took a couple snow shots. Snow was a fun thing to shoot. So many emotions in one element. Her earmuffs blocked a considerable amount of noise, and the fur part kept her warm. Her gloves were thin, purchased to put a layer between her and the elements, while allowing her to adjust the small buttons and knobs on the camera. Her blue eyes caught a bird among the trees, and she focused on that. Soon she would get to take pictures of larger birds than a sparrow.
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 11:30 am
Kestrel had a little too much trouble loading the birds up in crates and then carefully driving them to the park. The snow wasn't the best weather conditions but she was aware of the photos that they would get of the birds and that was good enough for her.
Deciding that with this much snow you couldn't really tell the difference between the path and the road she drove into the park. After all they were doing a photoshoot with birds of prey, who was really going to come in and tell her to move the van? Maybe if they did she would just let the birds fly at them... Kestrel didn't care much for other people so if someone didn't like it then tough.
As she parked the van up she spotted someone with a camera and assumed that was who was taking the photos. She didn't say hi though, being her usual grumpy self she went round the back and picked out the peregrine falcon. One of her smallest birds but without a doubt the quickest. She had her glove on and took a bag of raw meat out the cool box in the back. Only then did she walk towards the photographer.
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 3:01 pm
There was a vehicle parking nearby. Castille assumed that this was the person she was looking for, and indeed the girl unloaded a bird of prey. It made Castille's heart jump to see the smallish bird sitting on the girl's arm. Was it heavy? Did it's claws break through the glove? Did it mind the cold? All of these questions Castille wanted to ask, but she had to wait for the girl to get close enough.
When she was close enough, Castille smiled and said "Hi! I'm Castille. Your bird is really pretty!" She wanted to reach out and stroke the black feathers above the creature's eyes. She refrained from doing so as it's large eye fixed on her, and her breath caught. There was intelligence there.
"Well, before we begin I was wondering if there were any shots or types of pictures that you were keen on getting. I have a few ideas, but I always like to ask the customer if there is anything specific they are looking for before I delve into my own ideas." The camera rose to her eye again as she focused on the peregrine. One close up of it's face, which was now staring off at a twittering bird. She smiled as she examined the play back on the back of her camera. This was going to be a fun shoot.
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Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 12:16 pm
Kestrel listened to the girl and smiled as she introduced herself.
"I'm Kestrel, call me Kes." She then looked at the bird on her hand and smiled. "This is Parsley, she is a four year old peregrine and no I tend to let photographers do what they wish. They tend to know whats best. I can let her fly as well if you want shots of her flying." She stroked the falcon's chest as she spoke.
"Oh I have a few more birds in the back as well. If you want some variety. Also would you mind if we use any of these for the centres leaflet?" She wanted to check before she just used them but hey it was free advertising for her wasn't it?
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Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 3:48 pm
Castille nodded, saying "You are totally free to do whatever you like with the pictures. I hope we get some good ones!"
The blonde watched Kes stroke the falcon, and thought the women very brave. While the falcon wasn't the biggest bird in the world, the curve and point of it's beak kept her hands firmly locked onto her camera.
"I'd like to get a few of Parsley in a close up. Then we can have her fly! I'll have to change out my lens for that which will give her some time to chill after having a camera in her face." She smiled, knowing people didn't like it when a lens was focused on them for so long. Animals couldn't be any different in that respect.
While focusing the camera and taking a couple shots, Castille asked "How did you get into handling birds? It's not really something you can just take up like shell collecting right?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 3:24 am
Kestrel nodded as Castille said about what she was going to do. Parsley wouldn't mind the camera in her face, some of the other birds she had would but that could be mentioned when she got them out.
"No you can't just start doing it. There are laws and licenses and all sorts. I got in trouble a lot when I was a kid so mum shipped me off to get an unpaid job. Hated it to begin with but once they let me start handling the birds it was hard not to fall in love with them." She clicked her tongue at Parsley who turned to look at her and then turned away again. "You have to have a strong stomach sometimes though, we do feed them chicks, mice, rats and all sorts. Parsley and Arrow who is our Harris Hawk we take hunting sometimes so they don't loose the ability to hunt for themselves. It's rare they do but it's always good to keep natural instincts going." Oh how Kes could talk about these birds all day long. She loved them so much. Arrow would be the next one she got out but first she would get Parsley flying.
"Ready for me to let her go?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 12:20 pm
Castille hummed appreciatively at the idea of licenses and hoops to jump through. She knew hoops well. "I would imagine there would be fifty steps just to be able to hold them. Photography is the same way. Most people don't know but there are all kinds of papers and things you have to sign and get signed in order to even show a photograph somewhere." Oh yeah, the paperwork. She would have to get Kestrel to sign that at the end of the shoot.
She lowered the camera and opened her camera bag that hung at her side. The smaller lens came off between her deft finger, and she placed it inside the bag before switching to a lens that was double the length of the preceding one. She twisted that one on, and then nodded, saying "Yeah we can start doing the flying ones."
Her position was a couple feet away, ready to get the take off shots.
"Alright, I'm ready when you are!"
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Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 7:57 am
Kestrel watched as the girl took the photos and then played with lenses. She had always admired photography but not enough to take it up. After all Kestrel had no money, no point doing a hobby when you don't have money to pay for it.
As Castille said she was ready Kestrel put her hand in her pocket and threw some meat in the air. Parsley took off in a shot after the food which gave Kestrel some time to attach some meat to a long rope. She backed away from Castille and started to swing the rope. This had a small chick attached to it. More then what would normally be on the end but it was enough to make sure Parsley would go after it even after a small snack like the one she had just thrown up.
Clicking her tongue she made sure she had the birds attention and sure enough it didn't take long for Parsley to try and get the meat. She toyed with the bird for a while making sure there were enough opportunities for Castille to get the photos before she let Parsley catch it.
"Get any good ones?" Kestrel was curious! However she moved closer to Parsley but not too close, she knew never to touch while food was being protected.
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2011 2:08 pm
Oh bu those wings were gorgeous!
Castille was in awe of the bird. The way it moved, sliced the air, attacked the meat it was thrown and then the way it swooped upon the swinging food on the rope. Kestrel was calm the entire time, and Castille wondered if it was because of experience that she didn't shudder when the bird came close to her. Luckily Castille had put the camera to rapid fire mode, or she would have missed the final swoop. While the content Parsley ate her victory snack, Castille scrolled through her pictures, noting that some were blurry, but others looked like they would be good shots.
She maintained her distance from Parsley, preferring to let it eat it's meal. The thought was reinforced by Kestrel also keeping her distance.
"Yeah I got some great ones. Lots of action shots with nice blur." She scrolled through once more, and made sure that there was still ample room on her memory card before asking "Do you want to run her again? Or would you like to try another bird? I'll admit my heart stopped there for a minute when she came swooping in. It was so dramatic!" She rambled for a bit, admiring the bird from afar.
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 3:51 am
"Parsley won't be so helpful now, I will grab Basil." She smiled and walked straight over to Parsley and using her gloved hand grabbed her prey. Parsley then jumped on to the hand to get her meal back. It wasn't something Kestrel would normally do but she wasn't going to waste time, after all the snow had a slight red patch from where Parsley had been eating and it could just get worse!
She tied Parsley down in the van where she could finish her meal and picked out Basil. She was going to get Arrow next but changed her mind, Basil would look good right now.
Basil was a barn owl.
He was a couple of years old and had a habit of doing what he wanted at times but like any barn owl, he was stunning.
"This is Basil. he is a little unpredictable but he is a beauty."
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 11:27 pm
Castille was impressed with her bold move. She wouldn't have taken that food from Parsley! She eyed the red patch of snow, getting a little closer and taking a few closer pictures of it. She could see one of them being sandwiched in between a flight picture and a kill picture. Grim yes, but a good set up nonetheless.
Her breath caught in her chest when she saw the barn owl. What a lovely face! The white feathers that framed such a wise demeanor. The mottled wings drew her away from his face, and her camera immediately went to her eye and she began shooting. Close ups of the wings. "Magnificent!" she exclaimed softly, clicking away. At the name she snorted, "I sense a pattern with these names. Were you hungry when you named them?" She smiled, looking up to Kestrel for a moment before delving back into the world of her photography.
Basil looked at her over his shoulder curiously, head tilted slightly. She "Aw"ed, taking a few more before finally backing away and giving both girl and bird space.
"Barn owl right?" She asked, admiring him without the lens in front of her. Castille liked owls a great deal. They were wonderful creatures, and silent fliers. Something so pretty, yet so quiet. If only she could be silent as an owl when she patrolled.
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 12:45 pm
"It was a named theme at the time. Basil and Parsley are some of our newer additions." She smiled and stroked Basil's chest while he had his photos taken. "Basil is well trained though, if you want to lay down I can get him to fly straight over you." She could also get him to do a lot more but she wouldn't give that away right now. She walked over to a post and placed him on it. He stayed there like a dog when it had been told to stay, his eyes never left Kestrel. She walked the other side of Castille and waited to see if she would lay down or not. "I will get him to land pretty close to you, don't move whatever you do, not suddenly anyway." She then got ready, if it went right Castille would have the most amazing shot of an owl landing on it's prey.
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:34 pm
"Ah I see." She said.
Lay down under an owl........hmmm. Castille wasn't sure at first. It wasn't Basil's claws of sharp beak or the thought of him landing right on top of her with either of those that made her pause for a moment. It was the thought of what if she couldn't get the shot she wanted?
But man, this was such a cool opportunity! She couldn't pass it up. So she said "I'll do it!" before running over to a cleared away spot, with plenty of room on either side for Basil to fly. She lay down flat on her back, with the camera pointed upwards, and quickly made some adjustments to accommodate for her new perspective. "I'm ready!" She said loudly, keeping her camera pointed upward, though the rest of her remained still.
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 5:47 am
Kestrel smiled and let Basil go once Castille was on the floor. The bird flew exactly where Kestrel had wanted, straight over Castille once, then twice, then again but all at different angles and from different directions. She then gave a small call and the bird landed back on her arm.
"If you want I can fly him properly like I did Parsley?" She thought she would offer and she didn't want to ask if Castille got the shot she wanted when lets face it.. she might not have and Kestrel knew better then to ask photographers if they got a shot they wanted. She had seen them get annoyed and angry when it hadn't gone their way.
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 9:37 am
There was nothing in the sky above her. Then suddenly there was a blur! She gasped, feeling the wind move away from the bird as it flew straight overhead again and again. Castille gave up trying to take individual pictures, settling for a rapid fire burst that would fill her card quickly, but guarantee a great shot for her and Kestrel. Every time the bird flew above, her heart stopped. This must be how a mouse feels! she thought giddily, seeing the bird flying back to his handler. She took a moment, then rolled to her hands and knees, getting to her feet all smiles. "That was amazing!" She practically shouted, feeling beyond exhilarated.
It took her a moment to calm down and register the question. When it finally clicked she said "I'd like to get a couple more if that's alright. I have a soft spot for owls." She looked at the bird with adoration, and asked "So do you just take care of them? Or do you go to schools and talk about birds? I remember when I was little" -Habitual pause for when one of her friends would retort about her still being little- "A guy came to our school with snakes and birds and all kinds of animals."
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