These aren’t serious images, in fact I’d probably categorize them as novelty photos. But I still find them visually interesting and somehow they seem appropriate for Saturday morning.
Years ago when I was active in Nature Photographers Network (a photo critique forum) my friend Richard Ditch taught me to appreciate graphic lines in an image. I immediately thought of him when I saw these two photos
I photographed this Black-necked Stilt recently at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge as it strode through the shallow, smooth water which provided clear reflections. I didn’t even notice the interesting (some may say distracting) geometric shapes of the reeds and their reflections until I looked at the images on my screen at home.
I took several images of the bird as it walked right through the geometric shapes but I particularly enjoyed this one with the bird’s tail perfectly bisecting one vertical reed and its reflection. Throw in the shapes of those long, pink legs and their reflections and there’s lots going on in these images.
There are distracting dark spots in the water that I could have removed but they were part of the natural scene so I chose to leave them.
These images won’t have universal appeal and that’s ok but I found them interesting enough that I kept going back to look at them so I thought there might be at least a few readers out there who also enjoy a little occasional weirdness.
Ron
Oh what fun.
And, because of a series of your earlier posts, I look at reflections with much more attention now.
And weird is good. Weird and whimsy are definitely good.
These are fun!
Very fun photo thanks for sharing it.
My eye expected to see the reeds and their reflections reflected again at the level of the reflection of the stilt. Cool! John
Your opening line, “[t]hese aren’t serious images, in fact I’d probably categorize them as novelty photos”, begs the question, what criteria makes an image serious? I loved these images. I don’t consider the dark spots distracting. I believe they tell us something about the habitat the stilt occupies. I think they work both at the level of art (graphic lines) and as quality wildlife images. Of course I think that about all of the images you post. As a photographer and naturalist I suspect that you have photographed and observed so many critters in the wild that your definition of “serious images” is very high. And that is why I look forward to your posts every day, but keep sharing those novelty images, I love them too.
The euvil one may be havingva nervous breakdown….not sure what’s happening….
NEAT!!!
NEAT!!!
NEAT!!!
NEAT!!!
The contrast between the Stilt’s beautiful slender build and stark black and white fascinate me; the matching angular reeds seem a perfect complement. I appreciated Kris Eberhatrdd’s take on the overlapping vertical reed.. Love your blog, read it every day for insight into a land very different than my native Illinois.
I like these. Stilts are always fun to watch, and I think the reeds add to the images.
I like the second image for two graphic reasons—the tail overlapping the vertical reed gives physical context, and lends to the implied
forward motion of the bird, and the space between the ( actual plus the reflected ) legs becomes a shape which is interestingly similar ( if smaller)
to the shape made by the bent reed , instead of just an anomaly off to the side……that’s my painter’s two cents’ worth !
Of coarse there are those who would say, technically, the birds tail bisecting the reed is problematic, so remove the tail. Opps, or is that the other way around.
Beautiful shots, beautiful pose, of a gorgeous bird, and as you know, I for one is not distracted by the natural scene.
Cool! 🙂 The reeds at angle certainly add to the photo and the tail crossed the one reed at center adds to it! 🙂 Nice to have a little fun outside of “technically correct” 🙂
I’m with you Ron. I LOVE these shots–and yes, insert string of superlatives here.
Some might call them novelties, but how often does the Universe line up like that–perfectly and in a unique way? Critics will always criticize, but I’ve found it’s always best to ignore them and move on down YOUR path. No one else can do what YOU do and for that, I’m grateful! Thank you!
Thanks, Laura. It would be a pretty boring world if we all had the same tastes.