How to photograph a tern

First find a marshy place

with a dock.

Around the dock, look for some comfortable pilings

where the bird might like to perch.

Then, on the pilings, photograph something for the tern

something beautiful and strange that will make it feel at home.

(I found a couple pelicans.)

Then wait with your camera.

Don't speak.

Don't move.

(Hide behind a piling if you have to.)

Sometimes a tern will come quickly

but it can just as well take hours.

Don't be discouraged if one doesn't come right away

wait.

Wait years if necessary

it doesn't mean that your photo won't be good.

When the bird comes

if it comes,

remain absolutely silent.

Wait until the bird poses for you

then quietly take frame after frame.

Move closer if you like.

Try not to cut off its tail feathers.

If you get too distracted or excited

and forget to show the best angle on the bird

or have too much pelican in the background

don't worry.

(You can fix most anything in PhotoShop later.)

Just photograph the bird

with the prettiest splash of blue for a background

or green if that's what you prefer

and remember to have fun.

Photograph the summer breeze, too

and the smell of the sunshine and the ruckus of the boat-tailed grackles.

Then wait for your bird to sing.

(With terns this is an optional step, of course.)

If it doesn't sing, don't be sad.

You did your best.

But if the bird sings,

it's a very good sign.

(Terns seem to spend a lot of time looking at their toes when they should instead be singing.)

It helps to have a great lens when taking photos of birds.

It also helps to have a friend willing to loan you such a lens

be warned tho

you'll want your own.

Santa

are you listening?

;-)