Birds, Wildlife, Nature, and Art

Sometimes, Timing is Everything

Spring Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Nature Art”

A bird embellished this rock art.

While some people do not consider photography an art form, I do, at least in some cases. Every subject, moment in time, angle, light quality, weather condition, and composition can be unique. The perspective and purpose of the person behind the viewfinder vary, too.

Some would say that a photographer does not simply take a picture, they make a picture. Yet, sometimes, the result is all about timing.

In the case of the Black Phoebe that lit on the pile of rocks, the timing was everything. In cases like this, it might have taken several seconds to move the subject into the viewfinder, focus, and make the picture. The available time was limited.

For weeks, I had been watching out for “Nature Art” pieces that match Mary Chang’s definition, requiring a human touch. I had planned to submit a photo of a feather swirling in a tide pool above shimmering rocks. But the creation did not involve a human in any way, so it did not qualify.

Finally, as I walked along Fern Grotto Beach on the shore of California’s Monterey Bay, an artistic rock formation appeared as I scanned the surroundings for wildlife. This was surely a qualifying subject for the “Nature Art” photo story challenge. As I raised the camera, a Black Phoebe, which is a type of flycatcher, landed on one of the art piece’s rock piles. Within a second, it was all over. I had made several exposures, and the bird flew away.

Over the years, I have evolved from a general photographer to a specialist in nature photographer or even wildlife photographer. But I never hesitate to take a photo of an interesting landscape, building, or piece of art.

In this case, which combined wildlife with art, luck and good timing were everything. Capturing this image killed two birds with one stone.

Thanks to the publisher of Six World Photo Story Challenge, Mary Chang Story Writer, along with the publication’s editors, Ellie Jacobson (and fellow Minnesotan), Sandi Parsons, and Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, for making this challenge possible.

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