After living in Bahrain for nearly 10 years, Beverly West is still very much fascinated with the culture and locals with their ever so interesting traditions, and one thing she is absolutely mesmerized by is ‘falconry’.
The passionate photographer shared more on her passion with Weekender, “I have always taken photographs of everyday moments and happenings in my life, spending hours sorting them out and pondering on how to capture them in different context and angles.” Pointing that all her photos make up bits and pieces of her life, telling a little bit about herself, the South African born has made Bahrain her home for the past 10 years and is thrilled to have a heartfelt passion for her hobby. “With every shoot, I learn something about love, something about life, attempting to capture the true essence as it happens and I find joy to share these moments. With my adventurous spirit and deep respect of different cultures, it has allowed me to explore my creativity, be inspired and put something of myself into my work. My goal is to capture the feeling I had when I took the photograph. I believe in the deepest and most beautiful heart of each person. I hope to portray that in each of my images. The true honest expression of the soul.”
Bahrain is vibrant and diverse with cultures and remains an exciting place to capture such unique images in one place. While Beverley doesn’t consider herself as an expert when it comes to falconry, her knowledge spans trying to take the best photo possible before , as she puts it, it becomes a nuisance. “I was delighted when I first stumbled on this exciting sport last year and knowing that they would be out in the same vicinity for training and practicing for the Falconry Championship early this year”
The falconers are out at Al Areen area training their falcons with 2 categories in mind:Speed where some falconers will have a piece of robe attached to the falcon and it forces them to fly low, to build their muscles and stamina and second is ‘height’, where a pigeon and sometimes a seagull will be released, his beak is tied up so it won’t hurt and damage the falcon, and this will enforce the falcon to fly high to catch its prey in mid-air.Beverly said the falconers with their handlers are so welcoming, that after a few days out taking photos, she even got the opportunity to launch a falcon in flight.
During the first training sessions, the falcon master swings a ball with feathers just out of reach of the falcon. A process that requires split second timing and intuition. The falcons can reach speeds of up to 100 mph in a dive. After a few passes the falcon master will reward the falcon with a treat. This process helps re-enforce in the falcon that it is the falcon master that feeds them. When on an actual hunt the falcon brings down prey and then waits for the falconer to arrive. “You want to make sure that the falcon doesn’t eat what you’re hunting, but only what you provide for it”, Beverly added.
