Example 523 of why my husband is my favorite person and why he comes with me to shoot!
Now mind you, my husband is a great photographer in his own right, but generally I am the one antsy to go somewhere and explore. One of my favorite places to visit is Jefferson Island in New Iberia. The gardens are gorgeous and there are peacocks everywhere! To me, peacocks have always seemed so exotic, but here they are so used to people that they literally just roam around the island. There is something so elegant about them and it is peaceful to watch the light play off their feathers. I remember my mom always loved them as well. She loved the colors and she loved to watch them when they had their feathers up and the plumes on display.
The day we were shooting a storm had passed through not long before and it had done a bit of damage. We were still finding some good shots but we were struggling a bit and I was on the lookout for a great peacock shot. I wanted them with their plumes out. What many people don’t know is that for their plumes to be out, they are either trying to look “bigger” in order to stave off a predator or another male. Or a male will plume out when they are looking for a mate… Well, these peacocks are pretty tame and docile, so I don’t know that they feel the need to protect and I doubt a peacock is gonna find either one of us attractive, so… I was realizing this shot might prove harder than we thought.
We walked around for a while, I got some good shots but not THE shot, and I was resolving myself to the fact that it just may not be our day. We were actually on a bit of an adventure weekend and decided to head to our next stop. As we walked back the car, I was contemplating provoking one of the peacocks and weighing things like potential damage, how fast is a peacock?… and potential banning, is it illegal to provoke a peacock?… is there a dating site for peacocks? Swipe right? Or is it left?…
I was lost in thought when all the sudden my husband says, Heather look. There they were, 2 peacocks sizing each other up. Like any true hockey fan, my immediate thought was fight, fight! Momentarily, I wondered if this was a “hey baby” moment or a “bro, she’s taken, back off”. When I saw the second one plume out as well, I knew it was most likely the latter… there was also a remote chance it was a workplace grudge…
Of course, I had just put the camera down and closed the door. So, I ducked into the backseat and froze for a tenth of a second realizing, all this time and I wasn’t prepared. The lens loaded on the camera was going to be a challenge to say the least. But if I wanted the shot, I had to move.
So, I grabbed the camera and started clicking. I felt like I was watching the start of the ultimate grudge match. The one peacock was moving around the other, sizing him up, setting his boundary, plumes high and proud. He just happened to be moving towards me. And I’m watching this unfold through my lens. The fight of the century! Stick and move… Shoot and move…
The thing I wasn’t comprehending was, as they were moving it was towards me and I was steadily backing up. The next thing I know there’s a hand at the small of my back. It’s my husband. He says, “stop”. Trying very hard to not be exasperated with the love of my life and to use my nice voice… I’m like “why?!” He just very quietly and calmly said, “car” as he gently pushed me forward. I had backed up into the parking lot and there was a car coming… which had very kindly stopped while I got out of the way. I threw up an apology wave and smile. When I looked back, evidently the grudge match was over and the peacocks were moving on. It was time for us to do the same.
I find it fascinating that the most beautiful moment for a peacock is when it is protecting. I used to think it was about them being angry, but it truly is preening. It says “look at me”, to divert attention from his mate to keep her safe.
Sometimes protection looks like puffing out your feathers and making yourself as big and fierce as possible. Sometimes it looks like a hand at the small of someone’s back and a quiet, “stop.”
I think about all the ways we do that for the people we love. With my son, sometimes it was a quiet, “come back by Mom,” or “careful.” Other times, I was absolutely the mama bear with every “plume” I had on full display. I learned both from my parents. My husband learned them from his. And one of the beautiful things about watching our son grow up is seeing that same instinct in him—the willingness to step in, help, protect, and take care of the people around him.
Maybe that’s part of what love is. Knowing when someone needs you to stand in front of them and look big…and knowing when they just need a hand at their back.
So when I look at that photo now, I still get excited that I caught it. I marvel at those gorgeous colors. I think about my mom and how much she loved peacocks. I remember our adventure and laugh at how close I came to backing into a moving car because I was too busy photographing the fight of the century.
But mostly, I think about reason 523 why my husband is my favorite person to shoot with.
He literally always has my back.
