Life seems remarkable to me sometimes,

I know little of flowers and less of birds, yet I somehow think this helps me to sense how I want to photograph them, almost everything they do is a surprise to me, fresh and exciting. Maria came into my office to tell me she had just put more feed in the bird feeder in case I wanted to come out and take a picture with my new lens. I did, and I was rewarded for my trouble.

I don’t know what these birds are, but I decided to sit outside with my new lens, I can be far enough away so that I don’t disturb the birds.

Two or three showed up right away, and I got the photos I wanted, quiet, contemplative images that were almost a meditation for me. I loved sitting out in the yard holding the camera up – next time the trip-pod. I love bird photos that show them in their natural world. They remind me of chickens, only they move much faster. I didn’t want to shoot through glass, I wanted to sit outside and wait. I want to get a feel for birds in their space, their speed, thair energy, their herky-jerky ness.

It was a sweet half an hour or so until it got darker and colder. I’ll be back in that seat often. This feels so peaceful and restful to me, it’s almost like a meditation. Perhaps it is a meditation.

I don’t know where I’m going with these pictures yet, but I like what I am seeing so far. As with the flowers, they touch something deeply inside of me, something that wants to come out and is coming out. I’m so lucky to be open to these things at this point in my life.

 

The birds are athletes, amazing in their ability to dive, move and twist. This one wrapped itself all around the feeder to get to the suet. I’ve been around birds all of my life, yet I’ve never really seen them. It’s true, photography helps me see the world anew. The lenses I trade for are helpful.