Liz
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Viewing 3 posts - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
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I enjoyed this- the photo is still!...unlike a warbler. The overall shape of obvious features were easier, but the legs- getting the appearance of weight distribution right, and the feathers- all in proportion - very difficult for me and lots of work to do there. I obviously focused on the bird, instead of its surroundings- but I think that's because I'm still not super quick at sketching accurately as I'd like. The composition of the photo is excellent- I certainly noticed those elements. I noticed how much more grey or appearance of grey (black distributed in yellow?) in the plumage of this bright yellow bird than I would've ever noticed if taking or looking at a photo. The photo of my sketch distorts the sketch a bit- it's longer than this appears, but I still ended up drawing more the body of a sparrow than capturing the narrower, sleeker length of this bird in this position. All of this would make a big difference in journaling- it's the stuff of the comments. For example, warblers are so difficult for me to commit to memory- there are so many, seen so infrequently, etc.- going through the process of observing and 'transcribing' what you see has to have an influence on the memory- and those distinguishing details all the more so. -
You may be deceived, looking out your window on a snowy day, to think, 'That's just a clump of black birds in the far tree;'- that that clump can be overlooked and dismissed like the bare branches on which they clump. Take a closer look! Look how beautiful! On this day, when our little friend has ventured down from the branches to get a drink from the piling snow, you see how his starry plumage mirrors the flurry all around him! By no means 'common,' these are the same creatures about whose astonishing murmurations poets have written. See for yourself:
Starlings in Winter
by Mary Oliver
Chunky and noisy,
but with stars in their black feathers,
they spring from the telephone wire
and instantly
they are acrobats
in the freezing wind.
And now, in the theater of air,
they swing over buildings,
dipping and rising;
they float like one stippled star
that opens,
becomes for a moment fragmented,
then closes again;
and you watch
and you try
but you simply can't imagine
how they do it
with no articulated instruction, no pause,
only the silent confirmation
that they are this notable thing,
this wheel of many parts, that can rise and spin
over and over again,
full of gorgeous life.
Ah, world, what lessons you prepare for us,
even in the leafless winter,
even in the ashy city.
I am thinking now
of grief, and of getting past it;
I feel my boots
trying to leave the ground,
I feel my heart
pumping hard. I want
to think again of dangerous and noble things.
I want to be light and frolicsome.
I want to be improbable beautiful and afraid of nothing,
as though I had wings.
From:
Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays
Copyright ©:
Mary Oliver
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These are by far NOT the best bird photos I've ever taken! But they're the best bird shots I've taken so far on manual!!- and they are fantastic compared to 1) what I would've gotten on manual before this course and 2) what I would've gotten on automatic. The Cooper's was taken w/ a 300mm, which honestly wasn't adequate length. Robin - I'm very happy with the detail and kind of light I was able to get in the woods, and wouldn't have on Auto. So happy, btw, to see a flock of robins in WNY on Jan. 1! The jay- Again, not the best focus, but I'm happy with the better compositions I'm getting following Melissa's pointers. Happy to be getting better at the shallow depth of field. Neat! Just starting- thanks so much!
I enjoyed this- the photo is still!...unlike a warbler. The overall shape of obvious features were easier, but the legs- getting the appearance of weight distribution right, and the feathers- all in proportion - very difficult for me and lots of work to do there. I obviously focused on the bird, instead of its surroundings- but I think that's because I'm still not super quick at sketching accurately as I'd like. The composition of the photo is excellent- I certainly noticed those elements. I noticed how much more grey or appearance of grey (black distributed in yellow?) in the plumage of this bright yellow bird than I would've ever noticed if taking or looking at a photo. The photo of my sketch distorts the sketch a bit- it's longer than this appears, but I still ended up drawing more the body of a sparrow than capturing the narrower, sleeker length of this bird in this position. All of this would make a big difference in journaling- it's the stuff of the comments. For example, warblers are so difficult for me to commit to memory- there are so many, seen so infrequently, etc.- going through the process of observing and 'transcribing' what you see has to have an influence on the memory- and those distinguishing details all the more so. 
You may be deceived, looking out your window on a snowy day, to think, 'That's just a clump of black birds in the far tree;'- that that clump can be overlooked and dismissed like the bare branches on which they clump. Take a closer look! Look how beautiful! On this day, when our little friend has ventured down from the branches to get a drink from the piling snow, you see how his starry plumage mirrors the flurry all around him! By no means 'common,' these are the same creatures about whose astonishing murmurations poets have written. See for yourself:
Starlings in Winter
by Mary Oliver
Chunky and noisy,
but with stars in their black feathers,
they spring from the telephone wire
and instantly
they are acrobats
in the freezing wind.
And now, in the theater of air,
they swing over buildings,
dipping and rising;
they float like one stippled star
that opens,
becomes for a moment fragmented,
then closes again;
and you watch
and you try
but you simply can't imagine
how they do it
with no articulated instruction, no pause,
only the silent confirmation
that they are this notable thing,
this wheel of many parts, that can rise and spin
over and over again,
full of gorgeous life.
Ah, world, what lessons you prepare for us,
even in the leafless winter,
even in the ashy city.
I am thinking now
of grief, and of getting past it;
I feel my boots
trying to leave the ground,
I feel my heart
pumping hard. I want
to think again of dangerous and noble things.
I want to be light and frolicsome.
I want to be improbable beautiful and afraid of nothing,
as though I had wings.
From:
Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays
Copyright ©:
Mary Oliver 
Viewing 3 posts - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)