Aviation has always been an interest of mine. This week’s photo challenge allows me to share some images of aviators. Natural flyers, these images capture the essence of weightlessness. Ben Huberman’s challenge post asks us to show the effects of gravity (or the ability to defy it.) You can view the entire challenge post here.

The seagull in the opening photo is carefully watching what that weird man with the contraption in front of his face is about to do. Residing at La Jolla’s Cove, with many tourists wandering about, I could see he wasn’t scared of me or my camera, just keeping a watchful eye on his flight past.

La Jolla (pronounced La Hoy-ah) Cove is a great place to watch seagulls, cormorants and pelicans. The above two photos are from an upcoming post.

The lone pelican searches Lake Gatun in Panama looking for breakfast on an early spring morning.

In one of the locks in the Panama Canal, two pelicans take advantage of the lowered water level searching for fish that were trapped in the lock once the ship has left.

Photographing birds in flight can be a bit tricky. A fast shutter speed and little time to focus presents two challenges, especially in less than bright sunlight. I have taken lots of photos of birds in flight, very few of them worth sharing. I hope you think these images make the grade.

John Steiner