Nature Photography: Coexistence (No. 9)

26 November 2018

Lens:

Light in the Forest; All Rights Reserved 2018 Sally W. Donatello

Click onto image to enlarge. Let me know your response to this photomontage. Prints are available upon request.

Pens:

Above is my ode to the American holiday: Thanksgiving. The photomontage represents the light in the forest, that illumination that gives optimism. As I combined two images, my intention was to create that feeling of wonder that appears in that moment of discovery, that moment when time stops and the world seems balanced and full of promise. And in that moment we are simply grateful to exist, to realize the incredibly world of nature and human nature.

Since I’ve been traveling for a few days, the Pens section is brief. I’m letting the image mostly speak for itself.

Note:

I’ve been smitten and transfixed by seasonal and year-round birds for decades, really all my adult existence. My initial awareness was sparked in my early days as a novice gardener, and became gobsmacked by hummingbirds. That love continues as does a reverence for these fascinating creatures.

Recently, I was overjoyed by the discovery of the publication of The Splendor of Birds: Art and Photographs from National Geographic and Catherine Herbert Howell (2018). It tells the story of the avian population and its wondrous role in nature.

From National Geographic website: “Bird, nature, and art lovers alike will treasure this sumptuous visual celebration of the colors, forms, and behaviors of the winged wonders who share our world as they have been explored, displayed, and revealed throughout the years by National Geographic. The book moves chronologically so readers witness the tremendous growth in our knowledge of birds over the last 130 years, as well as the new frontiers in technology and observation–from luminous vintage paintings and classic black and white photographs to state-of-the art high-speed and telephoto camera shots that reveal moments rarely seen and sights invisible to the human eye. The wide diversity of pictures captures beloved songbirds outside the kitchen window, theatrical courtship dance of birds of paradise, tender moments inside a tern’s nest, or the vivid flash of a hummingbird’s flight. Readers will delight in seeing iconic species from around the world through the eyes of acclaimed National Geographic wildlife photographers such as Chris Johns, Frans Lanting, Joel Sartore, and Tim Laman and reading excerpted passages from Arthur A. Allen, Roger Tory Peterson, Douglas Chadwick, Jane Goodall, and other great explorers.” Read more about the book on the Sierra Club’s website.