out of focus
In Love
WITH LOLA
It was love at first sight. After many years
of yearning – no, lusting – here she was, in
my arms, all mine. She was more beautiful
than I had imagined – silky smooth and slender,
with curves in all the right places. She
glistened. Seeing her made me intoxicated,
almost speechless. I felt giddy like a kid on
his first day of school.
My girlfriend did not appreciate sharing
me with this new love. She nicknamed
her “Lola” and became jealous of the relationship
that was so clearly developing,
undermining our own. The truth is that
I started spending much more time with
Lola than with my girlfriend. I couldn’t
help it. Lola was my first super-telephoto
lens. I had saved my hard-earned cash for
years to be able to afford her 600 mm of
focal magnificence.
Lola and I became inseparable, spending
all of our spare time together. We bonded
through passion for nature. I guess you
could say that we just clicked. She was
always at my side — even at night she
was never far away. Oh sure, maybe I was
being a bit over-possessive, but
there were a lot of other photographers
who eyed up Lola when
we were out in public. So I never
took my eyes off her.
Each day together was an adventure.
On spring mornings Lola
and I trekked through dewy forests,
warmed by the first light of
the day, serenaded by songbirds.
On warm evenings we took long
walks down the beach, following
shorebirds as they darted in and
out along the surf edge. Sometimes
we would just sit silently
in the last light of day, enjoying
serendipitous moments of great
natural beauty.
The more I got to know Lola
and understand her nuances, the
better — and more rewarding —
our time together became. Yes, I pushed
her buttons from time to time, but she
always had a quick response and stayed
focused. In the early years of our relationship,
she was sharp, modern and sophisticated.
This challenged me to learn and
grow, opening up a whole new world of
photographic possibilities.
After spending many productive years
together, I began to outgrow Lola. She
was losing her edge, becoming somewhat
old-fashioned. The world was moving on
and I found myself secretly lusting for a
younger, sharper and more stable model.
Before long, I made my move and was left
facing the inevitable task. So with a tear
in my eye and a tinge of guilt in my belly,
I parted ways with my first photographic
love — Lola the lens. ...
By Ethan Meleg
Contributing Editor
To read more from Ethan’s column please....
BIO
Ethan Meleg is a professional nature photographer
from Ontario, Canada. He specializes in photos of outdoor recreation,
landscapes, birds and wildlife.
Ethan grew up near Point Pelee National Park,
a world-famous birding site in southern Ontario. The park inspired
his love of nature, and he often skipped classes to chase songbirds
during spring and fall migrations. With an in-depth knowledge
of nature, Ethan has led bird and nature tours for fifteen years
and is a member of the champion Kowa 'Canadian' Birding Team.
In between watching birds and taking photos, he miraculously
completed a bachelors degree in Environment and Resource Studies
at Trent University.
Ethan is a self-taught photographer. His photos have
been published all over the world in books, calendars, brochures, magazines
and corporate ads. Credits include: National Geographic books, Ranger Rick
books, Forbes Magazine, Canadian Geographic, Wyman Calendars, Lonely
Planet books, Cottage Life, Birder's World, Birding, Birdwatch, Wildbird,
Living Bird Quarterly, Birder's Journal, National Wildlife, Nature Canada,
ON Nature, Canoe & Kayak and many more. At only 33 years of age, Ethan is
already established as one of Canada's leading nature photographers.
Ethan lives by the shore of Georgian Bay near the town of
Midland, Ontario. His great passion in life is exploring the natural world
with his camera, whether on distant travels or in his own backyard.
Please click
here to visit Ethan's site. |
