The Rock

There's a large rock at the entrance of the trail going down from the Viewpoint. Today I saw a photographer--a guy in a black shirt--set up his tripod beside it. Eagles--or maybe hawks--were circling in the distance, and he was working on getting shots of them. I've tried it myself, in the past, and can tell you that it's not easy to get a good photo of a bird in motion.

I often watch photographers at work at the Viewpoint, and when I feel like it won't be too distracting, I ask them questions about how they do their work. And I like to ask them why they come to the Viewpoint to take photos. I'm as drawn to a view as anyone, but I often wonder what makes us so impressed by distant space seen from a high vantage point. Why is that any more interesting than the side of a wall, three feet away? And why is a raptor with its wings spread wide any more impressive than a sparrow or chickadee perched on the branch of a shrub? Oh, and why do people stand by that big rock so much?