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Fourth Place: “Flying Solo”
Joe Campanellie, Master Photographer
Campanellie’s Signature Portraits
Joe Campanellie has been a fan of bald eagles for years. This image was taken during what he calls “the trip of a lifetime.”
“My wife and I went to Homer, Alaska, to photograph the 300 to 400 bald eagles that spend the winter there,” Campanellie says.
The Campanellies were there for two weeks in February and early March, when the average daytime temperature was -20° F. “It was a difficult photograph to get, because the weather and the conditions were really challenging,” he says. “Homer is actually a little spit that juts out into the Kachemak Bay so you’re always fighting the wind from both sides, which can easily get up to 20-40 miles per hour, Plus, Alaska has very strange conditions that time of year — the sun never really gets very high. So, you’ve got to select the right location and the right time of day to photograph an eagle in those conditions.”
Though Campanellie is a portrait photographer who specializes in families, children, and high school seniors, his roots are in nature photography. “Now that we’re officially empty-nesters, we try to get out and take as many trips as we can. I enjoy it, ” he says. “But those birds are moving really fast while diving for prey — up to 100 miles per hour. Trying to chase them is almost as tough as trying to chase two-year-olds.”
This image was captured digitally and printed on KODAK PROFESSIONAL SUPRA ENDURA Paper by Burrell Colour Imaging.
Joe Campanellie is one of an elite group of photographers in the state of Maryland who hold the coveted Master, Photographic Craftsman Degree from the Professional Photographers of America.
See more of Campanellie’s work
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