Spotlight: "American Eagle" and Inspiration

In this Spotlight article I wanted to share some of my favorite content to stratch that wildlife or photography itch when you can't be out there yourself. Today I'd like to talk about PBS Nature's American Eagle. I first saw American Eagle a few years when I was getting serious about wildlife photography and photographing bald eagles for the first time. It started with the common love of bald eagles, but this film also hit home because it was near home. Many of the scenes in this film were shot in the upper Mississippi River Valley, which is in my neck of the woods.

This documentary quickly became a source of inspiration for me. Neil Rettig is the primary film maker on the American Eagle project. Neil is a Wisconson native and has many other excellent films such as Raptor Force. It quickly became a dream of mine to produce work like Mr. Rettig's. The scenes of the eagles and the story behind it was very moving. I figured that my version of the story would be still images. Now with DSLR's producing HD quality video I hope to also capture some motion along with my still images of my favorite bird of prey.

I've included a video of some behind the scenes footage of the making of American Eagle and an interview with Neil Rettig. A DVD or Blu Ray of American Eagle are available on Amazon of which I've provided a link. If your interested in bald eagles, raptors, wildlife photography or film making I strongly recommend owning a copy. I watch it often for inspiration during my annual eagle photography.