Often when I’m outdoor, the light, shadow, direction of the sun and the time of day are less than ideal for photography. That’s the time when I see beauty from another perspective. The lack of light on the subject, or when it’s backlit, makes it all the more intriguing.
I’ve learned to appreciate silhouettes. They are more soulful and quiet. When devoid of colour, I can see more clearly the subject’s shape and form, and its solitary existence. Here are some photos I’ve taken lately… a kind of Wabi-sabi.
The slow and meditative movement of the Great Blue Heron:
Look at the shadow in the water, like a Chinese brush stroke:
A solitary Belted Kingfisher:
Cattails by the pond in the evening light:
Guess who’s still busy at dusk:
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Photos Taken by Arti of Ripple Effects
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Ripple Effects 
Very good shots. I really like them.
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masgautsen,
Thanks for stopping by the pond. 😉
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Yup. I totally get that. Love the photos. I can see a Japanese painting!
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Michelle,
Thanks! And the wabi-sabi aspect of it: beauty in the shadow. 😉
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Oh, yes! Your birds and other pond life are lovely images. I would never have noticed the “brush strokes” – Thank you for mentioning that. This collection is worth meditating on.
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GretchenJoannna,
That was a last minute serendipitous find just when I was about to post, as I noticed the reflection on the water. Glad it turned out this way.
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Love the herons … they make such a distinctive profile when they’re in flight! Speaking of profiles … last evening we saw a small woodcock in the sandy road by our house … such a sweet looking little bird! I wished I could get a picture!
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Susan,
I’d love to see that. We don’t have the Woodcock in our part of the country (I’m right at the foothills of the Rockies in Alberta, Canada).
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Love photos of birds and of water!
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Vicki,
Thanks for stopping by. 😉
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Very nice! I’m guessing the last shot is of a busy beaver! Cool…
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Ellen,
Yup… you’ve guessed right. Actually I only see then at eventide, when the light isn’t great.
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Awesome shots. Are you able to adjust the aperture on your camera? If so that can help with the backlighting. Sadly this feature is not available on a lot of cell phone or point and shoot cameras. Plus until you get the hang of it you will go through a lot of trial and error.
Sean at His and Her Hobbies
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Sean,
Yes, I can adjust the aperture on my camera. But for two reasons I didn’t, instead just used the ‘Auto Sports’ mode when birding. First, after I’ve taken the time to adjust the aperture and what not, the bird would likely have flown away. Second is, if I adjusted for everything, I wouldn’t have gotten these silhouettes. 😉
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Wonderful photos. I do like the tufted kingfisher. I am guessing a beaver too.
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Ginny,
Yes, I’ve been following it for some time, not that it suddenly flew into my view. I love Kingfishers. And you’re right, that’s a beaver.
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Very lovely pictures! Thanks for sharing!
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Melinda,
Thanks for stopping by and for hosting Saturday Snapshot. I’ve always wanted to leave a comment on your Snapshot page but don’t know how to. And there’s no allowance for me to just use WordPress Ripple Effects to comment. And you know what, I’m not on any other social media sites, well except Twitter.
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These are beautiful. Don’t you find that the light helps you tell a story or see a story? It’s not all daylight and the shadows and backlighting can give such grace and calm to the subject. Your heron photos are simply magnificent!
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Jeanie,
You’re right about the light telling a story. Thanks for the thought. 😉
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OK to PIN?
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My favorite is the backlit cattails. When my mother was a girl, they would dip the still-firm heads into kerosene and light them to use as torches — I suppose for nighttime events, or perhaps just for fun.
She couldn’t remember anyone getting harmed by it all. Of course, we used to ride bicycles barefooted and without helmets, too, and we didn’t die. 🙂
I get such a kick out of the beavers. There’s just something about them that brings a smile.
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Linda,
I’ve seen them a few times, not as often as you might think, the animal being on our Canadian coin.
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Lovely Arti! The cattails are gorgeous and I especially love the final one of the heron with his reflection in the water broken up with ripples 🙂
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Stefanie,
Yes, I was surprised to find that brush stroke effects on the water. And hey, I remember you’d read Far From the Madding Crowd lately. You might be interested to read my thoughts on the movie. 😉
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Beautiful silhouettes, Arti. And birds are the perfect subject with their distinctive profiles.
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nikkipolani,
Thanks! I’m sure you’ll find even more interesting birds in your very temperate weather environs. 😉
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What a beautiful observation about the Chinese brush stroke.
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Thanks, Denise. That was a serendipitous find. Do you read Chinese? And your Canadian family connections, are they anywhere near my city Calgary, Alberta?
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I used to read Chinese. I have a GCSE in it, a long time ago. But when I flicked through a GCSE paper recently, could only pick out the numbers. My nan ran a Chinese school in London and they had painting classes. I can’t remember where my relatives live! I will ask my parents tomorrow.
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