Want to see bald eagles snatching fish out of the water? Would you like to have a front row seat seeing eagles fight over a fresh meal? Professional photographer Ron Maggard explains how to find the best Iowa locations and what times are ideal. Watch the video to hear his tips and locations!
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Maggard is an Iowa-based wildlife photographer and he’s a big fan of bald eagles. He explains why below zero temperatures in February are great for bald eagle photography and how to find the best eagle locations across the state. He also discusses some breathtaking experiences and what time of day gets the best photographs.
History of Capturing the Bald Eagle:
The Early Pioneers (1890s – 1910s)
In the late 19th century, photography was a grueling physical feat. Wildlife photography didn’t exist as we know it because cameras were massive, and exposure times were too slow for moving subjects.
- The Kearton Brothers: In 1892, Richard and Cherry Kearton took the first photograph of a bird’s nest with eggs. To get close to shy birds, they used “hollowed-out” decoys—including a stuffed ox and a fake sheep—which they would crawl inside to hide their cameras.
- William Lovell Finley: A pioneer of eagle photography, Finley spent the early 1900s scaling cliffs in the American West. In 1904, he and Herman Bohlman climbed a massive tree to reach a Golden Eagle nest, rigging a remote-trigger camera to capture some of the first intimate images of eagles in their natural habitat.
- George Shiras III: Known as the “father of wildlife photography,” Shiras was the first to use camera traps. In the 1890s, he rigged tripwires to magnesium flash powder, allowing animals to essentially “take their own” photos at night. His work was so revolutionary it filled an entire 1906 issue of National Geographic.
Technical Revolutions
The shift from “recording” nature to “capturing action” was driven by three major leaps:
1. The Death of Glass Plates
Until the 1920s, photographers used heavy, fragile glass plates. The introduction of 35mm film (notably by Leica in 1925) allowed photographers to move quickly. You could finally hand-hold a camera rather than spending an hour setting up a tripod.
2. The Telephoto Lens (1930s)
Before long lenses, you had to be within a few feet of an eagle to get a clear shot. The development of high-quality telephoto lenses—like the Zeiss 400mm in 1935—allowed photographers to maintain a “safe distance,” ensuring they didn’t disturb the animal’s natural behavior.
3. Electronic Flash (1940s)
Eric Hosking, a legendary bird photographer, was the first to use electronic flash in the 1940s. This made it possible to “freeze” an eagle’s wings in mid-air, a feat previously impossible due to slow shutter speeds.
A Notable Sacrifice: Hosking actually lost an eye to a Tawny Owl while trying to photograph it at its nest, highlighting the literal dangers early bird photographers faced.