Heron Points Way to 2020 Calendar Cover Photo

Bob Laufenberg’s image of Iverson Beach, with Mount Rainier in the background, appears on the cover of the Whidbey Camano Land Trust’s 2020 Calendar.

Camano Photographer Captures Wild Iverson Beach Image

Bob Laufenberg couldn’t have asked for a more willing participant to help him break in his new camera.

Laufenberg and a friend arrived at Iverson Beach on Camano Island one morning last January looking for something interesting to photograph. They found a subject that was a little stiff yet quite compliant – an inquisitive Great Blue Heron perched on some driftwood.

This Great Blue Heron at Iverson Beach struck several poses for Camano Island photographer Bob Laufenberg.

“That heron stayed there for us for almost an hour and a half,” Laufenberg said with a laugh. “We took pictures facing south, north, and west. It was like that heron was taking sympathy on me, giving me an opportunity to take photos from so many angles.”

What Laufenberg didn’t realize until he got home was the beautiful composition and lighting he captured in some of his frames, including one image that shows a unique cloud formation curling over Mount Rainier. He entered that shot in the Whidbey Camano Land Trust’s 2020 Calendar Photo Contest and it ended up as the featured image that graces the calendar’s cover.

“I was just getting familiar with the camera,” Laufenberg said.

The Land Trust’s photo contest engages photographers in celebrating the beauty and nature of Whidbey and Camano islands while raising awareness of the Land Trust’s mission. Nearly 300 images were entered in this year’s contest.

Bob Laufenberg of Camano Island.

Laufenberg retired to Camano Island with his wife Cherie in 2017 after moving from Wheaton, Ill. He said he’s found no shortage of wonderful scenery to shoot.

“This is a beautiful place with so many different features,” he said. “We have company all the time.”

Just like he did the day he got acquainted with his new camera and made a new friend.

“I think that day I took over 200 pictures,” Laufenberg said. “I would have to say the heron was a feature in all of them.”

Where to Find the Calendar

The Land Trust’s 2020 calendars are being sold at participating retail outlets in Island County.