Pot Shards

Imagine a dedicated archaeologist digging through some ancient ruins in Greece searching for some piece of pottery which the civilization of that era was known for. Imagine his feelings of disappointment when he discovered only shards - tiny fragments of what he hoped to be a perfect relic. 

Even when he found the more common and less artful pots, they were all cracked and smudged beyond redemption. Imagine how he felt when his discoveries all fell short of his expectations.

Now imagine an ornithographer (a portmanteau term combining ornithology and photographer - which means one who takes pictures of birds) hoping to get a photograph of the extremely rare and critically endangered (there are less than 700 mature individuals in the wild according to Birdlife International) Baer's Pochard (thanks to our friend, Adri, who spotted the bird) but getting only a head shot. Imagine his feelings of disappointment then.

Even when he saw another lifer, a pair of Common Pochards, but only managing a less-than-decent shot due to the ducks' extreme distance from where he was standing. And this despite using a 2X extender on his 500mm lens that his kind-hearted friend Tina lent to him. Imagine how he felt when his photographs of his lifers all fell short of his expectations.

But like any self-respecting archaeologist, this ornithographer is not about to give up. He will return to the site and will keep on digging until the pot shards will be made complete.