We can seldom predict what will happen when we are out with a camera, and sometimes it’s the small moments that can make our day. This article shares a collection of photographs that were captured during a recent morning visit to Hendrie Valley and the Urquhart Butterfly Garden.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.

One of the first small moments that I noticed was a tern fishing. I tried panning with the bird a few times as it dived to catch a fish.

The goal for many of us is to photograph this action just as the bird hits the surface of the water.

Even when successful panning with a bird, one never knows if a continuous auto-focus burst will capture the action exactly as desired. Often multiple attempts are needed.

Sometimes I feel that birds were created to teach photographers to be patient.

I was finally rewarded with a photograph of the tern, just as its beak was entering the water.

I also captured a few other images of the tern fishing.

I’m always on the lookout for small moments that I can photograph using Pro Capture H and had a few opportunities to do so that morning.

As is often the case, after a while the birds just seemed to vanish. After waiting for 15 minutes or so, I decided to head off to the Urquhart Butterfly Garden.

I had some success photographing butterflies in flight. These small moments are always of special interest.

My favourite small moments of the morning were totally unexpected and created by two bees near the same blossom.

Small moments are all around us and often provide us with a treasure trove of interesting photographic opportunities.

Technical Note

Photographs were captured hand-held using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. Images were produced from RAW files using my standard process.

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