The famous photo of a bald eagle skimming over water with a perfectly mirrored reflection was taken by Steve Biro, an amateur wildlife photographer who often works in southern Ontario, Canada. The bird is Bruce, a captive bald eagle at the Canadian Raptor Conservancy near Simcoe, Ontario. Biro shot him head-on from a low position beside the pond, with his wingtips almost touching the surface, so that eagle and reflection form a near-perfect circle. The image went viral in spring 2019 after it was featured by My Modern Met.
Biro had been photographing birds for about ten years at that point, often taking around 2,000 frames a week. He had met Bruce on an earlier visit, and when he came back and found the water unusually calm, he knew he had a chance at a reflection shot. What he did not expect was how closely, and how crossly, Bruce would cooperate. Below we look at how the picture was made, the gear and technique behind it, and a selection of Biro’s other bird photographs, each with a note on what you are seeing.
The shot that went viral
This is the full frame. Bruce is flying straight at the lens with his wings fully spread and his eyes locked on the photographer. Because the pond is almost glassy, the reflection repeats every detail upside down, and the wingtips meet their mirror image at the waterline. Symmetry like this is rare in wildlife photography, because it needs calm water, a bird flying directly toward the camera and a split-second of perfect timing all at once.
How Biro got the picture
Biro first shot Bruce from the side, then decided he wanted a straight-on angle. He found a large rock right at the water’s edge, crouched beside it and leaned on it to get as low as possible. A low camera position is the secret to strong reflections: the closer the lens is to the water, the more of the mirror image you capture.
Bruce was not impressed. Biro has described the eagle flying back and forth across the pond, glaring at him and passing close enough to his head that he could feel the air from his wings. When Biro finally moved back from the rock, Bruce landed on it, looking at him as if to say, “This is my turf buddy, back off!”
That irritation is exactly what made the picture. An eagle staring at a perceived intruder holds its gaze on the camera, and the result is the intense, dead-centre stare that makes the image so striking. Biro has said he did not realise what he had until later, when he went through his files, cropped in and saw Bruce perfectly squared up in the frame. He now counts it as his best image.
The gear and technique
Biro shoots with a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. For most bird work he uses a Tamron 150–600mm zoom, which lets him fill the frame with small or distant birds. For Bruce he did something less obvious: he switched to a Canon 100mm L macro lens, because at close range the long zoom kept cutting off the eagle’s huge wings. A bald eagle’s wingspan can reach well over two metres, so when the bird is flying close, a shorter lens is the only way to fit it in.
He says his priorities are always the same: sharp eyes, fast shutter speeds to freeze motion, and good light. The hardest part of bird photography, in his view, is catching a bird in flight with its eyes in crisp focus at the same time.
More of Steve Biro’s bird photography
Bruce again, this time on the grass with his wings raised high. Eagles often spread and arch their wings like this when settling after landing or guarding a spot. It shows off the dark brown body and white head that adult bald eagles develop at around four to five years old.
A belted kingfisher flying low over still water, its own reflection trailing below. These blue-grey fishing birds hover and dive head-first for small fish. Catching one sharp in flight is a real test of skill, because they are fast and rarely fly in a straight line for long.
A large horned owl swoops toward the camera with its wings fully open, showing the barred feather pattern that keeps it camouflaged in woodland. Owls fly almost silently thanks to soft, fringed feathers. Raptor centres such as the Conservancy let photographers see these mostly nocturnal birds in daylight.
A tern plunges toward the water, wings swept up and bill pointed down, a split second before hitting the surface. Terns hunt by diving for small fish from the air. The upside-down pose is fleeting, which is why so few photographers manage to freeze it.
A great blue heron in flight, its long neck folded back into an S-shape and legs trailing behind. That folded neck is one of the easiest ways to tell a heron from a crane in the air, since cranes fly with their necks stretched out.
Bruce flying low across the pond, wings level and almost touching the reeds. This side-on view shows the size of a bald eagle, one of the largest birds of prey in North America, with females around a quarter bigger than males.
A behind-the-scenes view: a photographer seated at the water’s edge as Bruce sweeps past, wings spread. It shows how close the bird flies at these sessions, and why Biro chose a shorter lens to keep the whole eagle in the frame.
A close-up portrait of a bald eagle calling, beak wide open. The bright yellow bill and pale eyes are signs of an adult. Despite their fierce look, bald eagles have a surprisingly high, chirping call, which is why films often dub them with the scream of a red-tailed hawk.
Small birds and patient moments
Biro says the unique moments are what he hunts for most: a duck peering into a puddle, a squabble between species, a gosling running to its mother. The next frames show that side of his work.
A house sparrow perched on top of a weathered stump against a clear blue sky. One of the most common birds on Earth, it is easy to overlook, but the clean background and side light turn it into a proper portrait.
A great blue heron holding a bright orange fish in its bill, most likely a goldfish or koi. Herons hunt by standing still and striking fast, and they swallow their catch whole, head first, so they often juggle a fish into position like this.
A tern flying off with a freshly caught fish crosswise in its bill. Terns often carry fish back to a mate or chicks, and courtship can involve males presenting fish to females.
A great blue heron standing in shallow water among branches, its long breeding plumes lifting in the breeze. These herons are the largest in North America and can stand over a metre tall.
About bald eagles and the Canadian Raptor Conservancy
The bald eagle lives across most of Canada and Alaska, the lower 48 US states and northern Mexico. It feeds mainly on fish, which it snatches from the water with its talons, and it is the national bird of the United States. It is also a conservation success story: pesticides such as DDT had cut breeding pairs in the lower 48 states to around 412 by the 1950s. After DDT was banned in the US in 1972 and the birds were protected, numbers recovered strongly, and the species was removed from the US endangered and threatened list in 2007.
The Canadian Raptor Conservancy, a short drive south of Simcoe in southern Ontario, uses live birds of prey for public education and also works in breeding, rehabilitation and research. It runs photography sessions that let people get close to eagles, owls, falcons and hawks in natural-looking settings. Because Bruce is a resident bird, it is worth knowing that his famous photo shows a captive eagle, not a wild one; that does not make the shot any less difficult, but it is part of the honest story behind it.
Tips if you want to try a reflection shot
- Wait for still water. Early morning, before the wind picks up, usually gives the calmest surface.
- Get low. Put your lens as close to the water level as you safely can.
- Focus on the eyes. A sharp eye makes a bird photo; a blurred one rarely survives the edit.
- Use a fast shutter. Flight shots generally need very short exposures to freeze wingbeats.
- Shoot a lot, then edit hard. Biro’s best image came from a burst he only fully appreciated later.
- Respect the bird. Keep a sensible distance from wild birds, and follow staff instructions at raptor centres.
Biro’s photo works because skill, patience and a grumpy eagle all lined up in the same second. It is a good reminder that the best wildlife pictures usually come from showing up again and again, getting low, and being ready when the moment arrives.
Sources: All photos by Steve Biro; interview and details via My Modern Met; Canadian Raptor Conservancy; Wikipedia: Bald eagle.
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