The title is a part quote from John Muir, he of Yosemite and the High Sierras.
He said, “The end of an Endless Day”. He wandered free and with no encumbrances through the High Sierras and recorded his impressions from the delicacy of a leaf, the fog rolling through the redwoods all the way to the cathedrals of the ranges all around him.
Which reminded me once again the huge difference between looking and seeing.
Muir talks of visitors to the park who are there to catch trout, in the sparkling waters, so engrossed in attaching bits of worm to bent pieces of wire, and ending the life of a trout they didn’t see any of the surrounding areas that bring magic to the place.
For photographers, it’s not a portrait of a person, or a close up of an insect, nor the intricate detail of a flower, or the run of light, shadows and highlight, contrast and shape, form and texture.
It is to marvel at how all those elements come together at one instant in time, and produce a motif that glows from within and takes the viewer on a journey of discovery for themselves.
Great photographer and tutor Minor White, (1908-1976) See some works here on MOMA created a workshop which was called “Pristine Vision” and participants were encouraged to photograph shapes and forms they didn’t recognise.
It resulted in images of wonderful excursions into light and shadow as the main subject.
A second part of the exercise was to study a large rock wall, high in the Shore Acres State Park in Oregon, and look for familiar shapes in the rocks.
A bit like being in awe of the ‘horsies and duckies’ in the clouds. A game I never tire of.
Great exercises in looking for what you recognise and well as exploring those you don’t.
Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER - --doesn't mean I'm LOST 
Some look but don’t see, some listen but don’t hear. We can but hope to change that by our work. We can but hope that those who view/listen will be drawn to explore the work, to discover the nuances that contribute to the whole, to consider the elements while appreciating the whole. To engender a sense of wonder and awe in that which surrounds us. We can but try!
So much beauty in your image, the form of the tree, the shaft of light through the cloud that envelops the Ibis. Each on its own is worthy of an image but when all are combined for that moment in time there is that amazing sense of beauty that inspires.
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Interesting thoughts David, yes the combination of each factor being beautiful in its own right, combining to form a more beautiful completeness. I love the way you captured the Ibis’ back drop.
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A beautiful image David, with the sunlight pouring through the break in the cloud behind the Ibis on top of the dead tree. The combination of foreground and background is magical.
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