Shadow of Man and Buoy by Chipka
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Description
Night’s chill remains, despite the eastern glare of sunlight slanting over the lake.
Frost—like the exhaled breath of some ancient leviathan—gleams on the sand behind him, but his gaze is fixed outward, even as his more existential focus is an inward thing: a reverse glance, temporally retrograde.
He feels ash in his shoes, where long, immobile hours in his apartment on 10th and M were spent in jagged fits of memory…
—Thoughts of what he said—
…what he did…
…how she stormed away, the scent of some trendy perfume trailing behind her, like the strangest of kelps in some offworld sea.
Now, she is gone.
And Cregier stands on the ferocrete outcrop of Buoy Pier 728, watching the sun rise, and listening to the thunder of oribital transfer vehicles booming upward on invisible beams of microwave energy.
****
Yet another random story snippet that just popped out of nowhere. Hopefully you've enjoyed it and the image that it accompanies. This was taken on Easter Morning, a rather cold Easter morning. The buoy is within walking distance of an apartment I once lived in (with Corey, actually) but I'd never gotten around to photographing it.
And as always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting.
Comments (17)
beachzz
These random thoughts of yours are full of so much color and life and feeling; you take a few lines and they become a novel--this is great! And the title rocks!!
MOSKETON
EXCELENTE IMAGEN.
NefariousDrO
Great story to go with this image, the combination is very effective. I wish I had your gift for words!
bpclarke
Very reflective thoughts and image. Excellent work.
M2A
Light is deep. A kind of far and of hope.
MrsRatbag
Fantastic little short-short story/long caption for the shot. And the light, while clearly daylight, has a nighttime feeling to it...great work, Chip!
anaber
..If this story popped out of nowhere,well,she w´ll arrive somehere..i loved the story and it goes well with the image.The brightness in the water,the dark behind the figure and the red of the lighthouse to illuminate the sky make pronounced contrasts creating an exquisite atmosphere.Beautiful B/W.Thank you for sharing.
KatesFriend
I like the continuation of the story from "Light in a Third Floor Window" and herein you gave the narrative a tinge of futurism all while telling a story much more down to Earth if you will. The cold gray light and sweeping scene convey a detached loneliness. Although it also reminds me of the opening to the series "The Prisoner" where Number Six stands alone on a dark empty beach like this defiantly defending his right to be an individual.
ToniDunlap
Spendid depiction for your fantastic story Chipka. Have missed a lot. So sorry.
CoreyBlack
Yes,I clearly remember when you made this shot. It was about 6 AM on Easter morning with the sun rising blindingly bright over Lake Michigan and a freezing April wind(only in Chicago, or perhaps maybe Alaska, can it still be this cold in mid-April) blowing about 200 MPH. Under the conditions, it came out amazing well. I hadn't noticed the person standing on the pier or the fact that the red light flashing on the navigation beacon was so vivid against the sky. Once again another great photo. And the writing is vintage Chip, and of your usual high quality. I see your P.I. is becoming SciFi. I'm curious to see where he goes next.
romanceworks
I like how you weave story and image together so beautifully. You are a born writer, though I know you always work on your craft. I always find one perfect jewel among the many gems ... 'how she stormed away, the scent of some trendy perfume trailing behind her, like the strangest of kelps in some offworld sea.' CC
auntietk
anahata.c
as always you weave these small vignettes so that we feel a moment but sense a large world behind them. They're snapshots with a history, a backstory. I remembered these from your uploads back in E. Europe. And it fits this image well, because the image is also filled with implied backstory. Full-size one doesn't only see the heavy shadow and luminous crests, but a beam of light cutting from the sky through the shot. And phrases like, "Frost—like the exhaled breath of some ancient leviathan" are pure you. I'd love to see what you do with the lake in winter when the ice is evaporating and the whole lake looks like a smoking cauldron. (How did I capture it? 'The fish were smoking cigars.') (Ok, it's not Joyce, but it's got promise!) Lovely piece, Chip, and a lovely photograph to match. And to Corey's apt comment: That's Chicago spring alright...
ladyraven23452
love it as i always will.
nikolais
almost sepia, save for the red of the beacon... magnificent light falling down from where it probably should... the silhouettes... wonderful story and the feel, Chip
CatLyn
Love the feeling it evokes! Extremely well written I feel as if in the middle of some well know novel. It leaves me wanting to hear more....
three_grrr
I think Cregier has taken up residence in your imagination .. I think he's spinning his story and we'll be seeing bits of it here and there. I like the twists it's taking. The photo is stunning, all sepias with the scream of red beacon light at the top of the buoy. Beautiful as a whole .. photo and story.