As many experienced photographers will tell you, taking a wildlife photo of an animal coming directly at you is the most challenging photographic capture, but in that respect, technological developments are helping me, and all photographers take more dynamic wildlife and birding photos.  For this image, I used the Nikon Z7 Mark ll with an amazingly accurate and lighting fast autofocus that allowed me this time and others to capture images of wildlife coming directly at me.  In the field, I use Nikon’s Z9, Z7 Mark ll, D850. For a telephoto lens, I prefer the AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR and handhold the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sports with a 2x teleconverter which gives me 240-600mm, and I prefer this lens over the AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR, which I had for about a year, then I sold it to a colleague, that I work with on photo workshops.  The Sigma is considerably cheaper than its Nikon counterpart, but I consider it a more versatile and better lens for myself.  The Sigma lens’ versatility is impressive, and it’s tack sharp; the vibration reduction is excellent; the autofocus is a tad slower than Nikon but not by much, and in my opinion, it’s a superior lens for photographers who are hard on their gear in the field.  On more than one occasion, my Sigma lens has taken a beating and had to be sent in for repairs.  Sigma is based in Japan, and repairs have always gone smoothly, and return times are fast.  When I break a lens in the field, I only have to wait a few days for my lens to be repaired, or if there is a delay, I am provided with a loaner lens so I can quickly return to chasing the light or in this case chasing raptors.  Camera gear has come a long way in just five years; the new technology is outstanding.  Just five to seven years ago myself and other photographers had to calculate where a bird would strike in order to get a tack sharp shot, and we would have to adjust our focus point manually, anticipating where the bird would strike its prey, and of course, we had to rely on our experience.  We couldn’t rely on the camera and the lens' autofocus because it could be easily fooled.  Now the latest pro lenses and cameras are helping carry some of the burdens regarding those calculations.  And I am fortunate to have the latest technology, Sigma’s lenses, and Nikon cameras because of the speed with which the White-tailed eagle was coming straight at me.  White-tailed eagles are reported to have a top speed of 70 kph (about 45 mph), but I’ve seen my share of raptors flying all over the world, and I know, in the first image, this eagle was moving faster than that during the dive.  I’d say it was closer to 100 kph (about 60 mph) as it swooped down in front of me, and I took the photo at the precisely right moment.  I’ve shown this photo to colleagues, and some have actually asked me, “Is this photo real?”  Without missing a beat, I reply, “Are you serious?  Of course, it is!”  My colleagues usually change the subject after that or start asking me different questions about photos in my gallery.  Speaking of my gallery, colleagues sometimes tell me, “Haven’t I seen this photo somewhere before?”  Or they ask me if I’ve published the image in a book or online on a photo journal website.  On some occasions, that latter is true, but my photos have been used without my permission on websites, online journals, t-shirts, and on some rare occasions in print.  I always warn photographers, only share a photo online that you are willing to have borrowed, and other birding photographers know how rare the photos attached to this newsletter are, and few birders have a similar shot, but art should be shared, and, of course, I would prefer that an agency or fellow visual artist would ask me before using my photographs for commercial purposes, but it’s much easier to take credit for my photos then learn the craft as I have.  A couple of times each year, I share once-in-a-lifetime images from my cross-country photo expeditions around Japan.