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12/08/2006 05:27:45 PM · #1 |
To me, photography is largely about capturing slices of time. Freezing them for examination. There is something fascinating about being able to arrest times "flow" and look at the things that are lost in the fleeting moments.
We usually associate these frozen monents with photographs, but I find other examples to be sometimes equally interesting - haunting even. Take, for instance, the shadows of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombing victims permantly recorded on the concrete walls during their last instant of mortality. Without the knowledge of what one is looking at, they would probably just appear to be uninteresting blemishes on otherwise unremarkable structures. But the context transforms them from the mundane to the remarkable.
I know it's been said here many times that an image "should stand on it's own" - that it shouldn't require a descriptive title or an explanation. I suppose that I would agree to a certain extent. But there are certainly exceptions. While titles and descriptions don't improve the technical quality or artistic merit of a photograph isn't it true that photography is not all about artistry and technique? Doesn't a "frozen moment" sometimes stand on it's own simply for what it is?
I recently entered a rather unremarkable photograph of what, to me, was an absolutley remarkable frozen slice of time. I knew it wouldn't score particularly well and this post has nothing to do with that. But what it recorded was so amazing to me that I thought is might be of interest to some others here. The comments left certainly point to the need for some sort of enlightenment.
One day recently I heard a tremendous "whack!" against our sliding glass door (which I was standing right next to). I nearly jumped out of my skin! I knew instantly that a bird had flown into it REALLY hard, and was afraid that I would find it dead. The impact was really horrendous, but remarkably, the bird (a dove or pigeon - I was too shocked to take note), after staggering a few seconds, flew off apparently OK. Relieved that it lived, I looked to see if it had cracked the window. No cracks, but to my amazement there was an image of it's impact. Not meerely a smudge, but a really detailed record of the moment it impacted the window. This is the photo I took looking from the inside looking out.
The detail on the window blew me away. Since the limitations of the image size don't really show it here is a section enlarged. Notice the feather details, the beak, eye and, most remarkably, the twig it was carrying. The small feather on the left is one of a couple that were sticking to the window for a couple of days.
The image I entered (Free Study XIII) was taken from the outside looking in at night with just the porchlight (from a very oblique angle from the side) for light. I thought it looked a bit mysterious, almost alien. The dust specks on the window look like stars to me.
I'm very sorry for the long post, and hope that it wasn't too boring. But I really couldn't let one of my favorite images go without an explanation.
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12/08/2006 05:36:24 PM · #2 |
| That is an amazing story. I have had birds hit my glass door before--often being stunned for several minutes, one sat there perfectly still for probably 30 minutes. I feared it was dead, but it started moving and eventually flew off. None have left any marks on the glass, let alone the amount of detail you captured. Thanks for sharing the story behind your photo! |
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12/08/2006 05:42:16 PM · #3 |
| Wow! That's amazing, and stunning shots. |
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12/08/2006 05:43:23 PM · #4 |
That is amazing! thanks for sharing.
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12/08/2006 05:45:27 PM · #5 |
| Don't apologize for the long post - quite fascinating and nice of you to share the story. Poor bird! |
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12/08/2006 05:50:44 PM · #6 |
| Such an artistic bird. :P That is amazing. So clear the impression it left. |
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12/08/2006 06:06:05 PM · #7 |
| wonderful! thank you so much for sharing this story! |
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12/09/2006 12:40:45 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by yanko:
Such an artistic bird. :P That is amazing. So clear the impression it left. |
I think that the clarity of the impression had something to do with the fact that it was a rather damp morning...no rain or anything, but a bit of dew. |
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12/09/2006 12:45:20 PM · #9 |
| I've seen some pretty unusual markings on the hallway mirror at home when our Cockatiels have flown into it. They leave behind feather dust, and it is amazing in close-up detail. Sorry about your score, but you knew it was for you and no one else. Thanks for sharing. |
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12/09/2006 01:16:24 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by BradP:
I've seen some pretty unusual markings on the hallway mirror at home when our Cockatiels have flown into it. They leave behind feather dust, and it is amazing in close-up detail. Sorry about your score, but you knew it was for you and no one else. Thanks for sharing. |
yeah...this was one of those times when the score didn't really matter...just had to "take one for the team". |
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