Amber Payliss

Early morning breath and a burst of colour. Red-winged blackbirds were wide awake before the light fully was, claiming their perches and making sure everyone knew it. Capturing the breath of these birds isn’t an easy thing (at least not for me). It’s all about timing, light and position. Swipe for the uncropped! ••• 📸 Sony a7R IV with a 200-600mm lens ••• #redwingedblackbird #birdphotography #earlymorninglight #wildlifephotography #canadianwildlife #naturephotography #birdsofinstagram #sonyalpha #birds_captures #birds_in_view #nuts_about_birds

Hi! 👋 I’m Amber. An outdoor photographer, fly fisher, and conservation advocate based in Alberta. Swipe through to learn a bit more about me and the stories behind my camera. My work is shaped by rivers, wild places, and the people I’ve met along the way. These connections keep me inspired, and I love sharing them here. ✨ If you’re new, welcome. If you’ve been here a while, thank you for being part of this space. What’s one thing you never get tired of seeing in nature? ••• Photos on slides 1-3 courtesy of @j.a.m.e.s.e.p.h.o.t.o ♥️ ••• #introduction #aboutme wildlifephotography #conservationphotography #flyfishinglife #outdoorphotography #naturephotography #landscapephotography #birdphotography #catchandrelease #albertaoutdoors #sonyalpha #thebugparade

Watched the Northern Flickers making their presence known on a recent walk with my kiddo—small moments that signal the quiet shift toward spring. Have you spotted any signs of spring yet? Swipe for the full version of this photo which I much prefer. ➡️ ••• 📸 @sonyalpha A7R IV with a 200-600mm lens ••• #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #northernflicker #birdwatching #naturephotography #springiscoming #sonyalpha #naturelovers #birds_in_view #60SecOfNature #nuts_about_birds

Today is Endangered Species Day. Bull trout in Alberta are currently listed as Threatened under both Alberta’s Wildlife Act and Canada’s Species at Risk Act. A level below endangered, and that’s important to recognize. They are Alberta’s provincial fish and one of the most sensitive native trout species in the province, relying on cold, connected headwater rivers to survive. Species decline rarely happens all at once. Conservation is about creating awareness and taking action before threatened becomes endangered. At the end of last year I had the opportunity to once again contribute writing and photography to the @cpawssab , reflecting on bull trout, the Sheep River, and the watersheds that shaped a lot of my connection to the outdoors growing up. The link to the annual report is in my bio if you’d like to read the full piece. 📸 Sony a7R IV + 70–200mm #BullTrout #EndangeredSpeciesDay #CPAWSsab #speciesatrisk #conservationphotography

One thing Alaska made me appreciate is scale. Not just the size of the landscape, but the scale of connection within it. A river like the Brooks River in Katmai National Park supports far more than salmon. Healthy salmon systems create entire ecosystems around them. Bears depend on these systems. Forests benefit from nutrients carried upstream. Birds, insects, wildlife, and even people are tied into the same cycle. Just before I shot this photo, this coastal brown bear had charged into a pod of sockeye salmon while the anglers pictured here crossed the river to give it space. Watching that unfold in real time was surreal. The sockeye salmon migration in Bristol Bay is the worlds largest and being there to witness the start of it, the connection of everything that depends on it, and the benefit it has on the landscape was truly one of the most magical experiences of my life. 📸 Sony Alpha a7r iV + 200-600mm #flyfishing #alaska #coastalbrownbear #katmaibears #sockeyesalmon

I’ve been a mom for almost 10 years now, which honestly feels impossible to say out loud. Somehow my kid will be entering double digits later this year. 😅 Motherhood has become a huge part of who I am, but it’s still only one part of me. I’m still the Amber who loves fly fishing, photography, slow mornings with coffee, sunrise campsites, and getting way too excited about birds at the backyard feeder. Life didn’t turn out the way I once pictured it would. Our family changed. People grow. Seasons shift. Motherhood has taught me that over and over again. But through all of it, the thing that matters most to me is showing up for my son consistently. I want him to move through life knowing I’m always in his corner, especially in the hard moments. So that’s what I try to do. Keep growing into myself while letting him witness that growth too. Learning together as we go. Watching him become his own person has been one of the most incredible things I’ve experienced. From his first steps, to his first fish, to randomly finding him reading the Ford Bronco manual on the couch for fun, he continues to surprise me every day with how brilliant, hilarious, thoughtful, and uniquely himself he is. Motherhood has been one of the most beautiful and hardest things I’ve ever done. And today can hold a lot of different emotions for people. So to the moms, the single moms, the stepmoms, the people missing their moms, the people with complicated relationships, and the people longing to become one, I’m thinking of you too. And to my own mom, thank you for continuing to support me through every version and season of my life. Happy Mother’s Day 📸 Sony A7r IV + Sony 20mm f1.8 #mothersday #lifestylephotographer #selfportrait #family❤️

Migration is one of the clearest reminders that ecosystems do not function in isolation. The birds we see here in Alberta each spring may depend on wetlands, rivers, forests, coastlines, and stopover habitat spread across thousands of kilometers throughout their journey. What happens in one place carries far beyond it. Spending time photographing migratory species has completely changed the way I experience the landscape around me. You start noticing connections everywhere. Water, insects, habitat, weather, timing, all of it intertwined in ways that are easy to overlook until you begin paying attention to the species moving through it. World Migratory Bird Day felt like a good reminder of that connection and our role in maintaining it. #WorldMigratoryBirdDay #BirdPhotography #Migration #Conservation #AlbertaBirding

A hug to all the Fish Moms out there getting it done and bringing the next generation into the fold. Thank you for your patience and grace, your teaching and tutelage. For demonstrating the mend and explaining the reach cast. For packing our waders, making shore lunches, and for always leading by example. An early Happy Mother's Day to our rocks, we wouldn't be here without you. 📷 courtesy of Redington Squad Super Mom @thebugparade #redingtongear

A male mountain bluebird! I’ve been trying to line this up for a while and it never worked out until a few weeks ago. A lot of the mountain bluebird populations here depends on nest box programs. In Alberta, those programs started in the early 1970s, built and maintained by volunteers running “bluebird trails” along fence lines. Simple idea, but it worked! A good reminder that small, community-led efforts can actually shift things in a meaningful way. An important thing to take away as Alberta’s continue to fight for our wild landscapes to stay wild. As always, swipe for the full perspective! I definitely prefer it over the cropped first image. 📸 Sony a7R IV + 200–600mm #mountainbluebird #albertabirds #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #sharecangeo

The Ruby-crowned kinglet. Small, fast, and constantly in the worst possible spot for a photo. And yet, I keep trying. 😂 Sony a7R IV + 200–600mm #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #sonyalpha #birding

I love the calls of the song sparrow, but they don’t just sing to be heard. Like most birds I photograph, I end up going down a bit of a rabbit hole after. With these guys, I learned that how well they learn their song actually matters. Studies have shown females are drawn to males whose songs more closely match what they learned from adult birds. So it’s not just about the song, it’s the accuracy of it. Wild. Still waiting for the day I can casually drop all these bird facts somewhere useful. For now, @j.a.m.e.s.e.p.h.o.t.o gets to listen to me ramble. 😅 📸 Sony a7R IV + 200–600mm #wildlifephotography #songsparrow #birdphotography #sparrow_appreciation_society #sharecangeo

Juvenile bald eagle along the west coast of Vancouver Island. I’ve spent a lot of time around eagles here at home along the Bow River, on the island, and in Alaska. No matter the place, they are a reminder that the environments they rely on do not function in isolation. What happens on land moves through watersheds, shaping habitat, food availability, and long term stability for species like this. They may still be common in some areas, but that does not mean they are insulated from change. Whether coastal or inland, pressures on habitat and water systems all play a role in interrupting that connection. Something that often weighs on my mind when I’m observing these incredible birds. Swipe through for some coastal habitat shots. 📸 Sony a7R IV + 200–600mm #baldeagle #vancouverisland #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #sharecangeo