Perfect Perches, Part VII

Imperfect Perfection and Black-and-white Warbler                  8 May 2010

Black-and-white Warbler in Ironwood

One of the most important differences between a nature photograph and a truly wild experience in nature is the difference in dimension.  Since our best memories from the natural world usually involve huge open spaces and often some kind of close up encounter with a living personality, perhaps a fleeting moment in time that is worth its weight in days, the memory may be defined by its depth, distance, and the size of spaces.  We remember our feet in the soil, the smells in the air, the temperature and humidity upon the skin.  We can be haunted by the echos from a nearby ravine or the way sound moves across placid water.  To match the experience with an image is a tall order.  A good nature photograph can almost hold that fleeting moment forever, conveying the feeling of the place and time.

Sometimes an image is helped along by a sense of depth imparted by blurred foreground images.  In the case of this favorite bird photograph, I didn't wrestle with my own opinions about the ironwood leaves obstructing the warbler.  To me, they make the image.  I feel the forest all around me when I look at this picture, and I am always happy that the warbler chose that perch and that I was standing right where I was.  The colors of the leaves hint at the first truly warm burst of spring. The foreground reminds me that I am there in the woods, the low brush and young ironwood brushing my arms.  I am immersed.

This image was made handheld with a Canon 300mm f4 L IS lens, Canon flourite 1.4X converter, and a Canon 30D.