Natural Model

This Spring has been a bit disappointing from a weather perspective. There have been many cold and overcast days which make for a less than perfect day to explore the flora and fauna around our property. Mostly, the cloudy skies reduce the chance for a good photo, even if the opportunity presents itself.

The weekend promised clear skies albeit still chilly temperatures, but we were committed to teaching a two day class. I assumed I would miss the chance to spend time outdoors. Lucky for me, Robert was gracious to fly solo with the clients on Sunday afternoon and I took advantage of the time to see what was going on’ around our farm.

It doesn’t happen often, but several times in the past year I have encountered a bird that seemed truly dedicated to model for me. On Sunday, it was a female Red-winged Blackbird. She moved from plant to plant showing her true colors – which, I must say are nothing like her male counterpart. She’s neither black nor does she sport brilliant red wing patches (unless you count the little splash of crimson that only pops under certain conditions.)

I’m incredibly dazzled with a couple of the images I took of this lovely creature when she perched precariously at the top of last years spent grass-weed stalks. The curves of the dried plant emulates the movement of the bird as she attempts to right herself. It adds movement to a still shot – which is often quite challenging to capture.