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| Patience and the Bird by Ysabel de la Rosa |
I came upon this bird while walking around an area lake on a hot summer day. It was beautifully posed and poised, and every bit as still as the hot, breezeless air that surrounded us. It /he / she patiently allowed me to photograph it. I was there, close to the bird, for about 15 minutes. It was, yes, one of those moments of communion; a surprise, a treasure, a coincidence of time and space that makes one glad to be alive.
I have never entered a photography contest before, but this year I entered our local nature center's annual photography exhibit, and this image won second place. The prize belongs to the bird, I know that in my heart, and I am only too glad to accept it on his/her behalf. (I think it looks like a he, don't you?)
I find that animals have mastered stillness in a way I have yet to learn. Their stillness is never static, but dynamic in the way that achieving balance is a dynamic process. They appear both self-contained and fully prepared---to move at a moment's notice, to run, to fly. I have yet to take a really good photo of a bird in motion, but I am most happy with this one of a bird-in-stillness.
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