Wednesday, July 20, 2005

perfect cradle

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After the storm had passed I walked along the edge of our property assessing damage by the winds. A birds nest had been dislodged from the shelter of a large evergreen that stands at the far edge near the roadway. The nest was empty and there were no broken eggs or baby birds lying nearby. It created a beautiful still life, sitting on a cushion of discarded pine needles and surrounded by walnut sized pine cones. Unfortunately the light was failing and a decent picture was out of the question.

I picked up the nest and was surprised at it's weight. The bottom portion had two distinct grooves where the base, heavy with a dried mud substance was formed around two branches. My impromptu photo studio consisted of a piece of matte photographic paper placed beneath the nest, and bathroom lighting overhead.

I love images of natural forms removed from their settings and placed in stark backdrops. They become a piece of art with nothing to detract from their simple construction and beauty. A perfect cradle for the fragile egg.

3 comments:

poopie said...

VERY nice ;)

srp said...

Love the simplicity of the nest.
Perhaps a robin? Had one build a nest on our fencepost in Mississippi and this year in a crepe myrtle bush. The babies didn't seem to mind.

Karen Schmautz said...

I think you could hang that one on a wall.

Bee-utiful!