A Featherless Wing by Chipka
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Description
It’s been a while since I took this picture, but I remember the day quite well. It wasn’t yet as hot as it is now; I hadn’t yet found gaggles and swarms of snails and slugs in the back yard. Though it was mid spring, I’d actually gone in search of caterpillars. I’d seen scores of them last year and was anxious to see more; as it stands, I saw few signs of anything other than the year’s first industrious ants: small, sluggish things meandering around as if they’d just awoken and hadn’t yet had their spring coffee. The air had warmed considerably, but we were nowhere near this summer’s broiling heat.
As is common, I was engaged in something terribly mundane when other things caught my eye. This is one of the joys of photography that I’ll always cherish. The world is always such a different thing when you’ve trained yourself to actually look at it and marvel at the things “regular” people tell you is unimportant, insignificant, or below the acceptable limit of what the Oprah McDisney machine has deemed worthy of focus. And so, on a day that I emptied garbage, I saw helicopters, the season’s first slugs, and sluggish ants. The slugs were too small to photograph, and I wasn’t in the mood to transplant them to more photogenic surroundings. The ants—sluggish though they were—still exceeded the speed limits required of my macro lens, and the Maple Tree helicopter seeds were far more intriguing anyway. It had rained the night before, and those that had fallen were vaguely translucent.
In my younger years, I’d fallen in love with the obscure musical styles of artists like Lisa Gerrard. As I saw arboreal-derived helicopters, I thought of a collaborative album known simply as: These Wings Without Feathers. It was a brilliant work of brooding musical intensity. Lisa Gerrard contributed two, marvelously haunting songs, another of my favorite groups, Elijah’s Mantle also contributed, as did CoEx, a musical entity I know little about. I thought of These Wings Without Feathers and the dark mysticism that colors that musical journey into the areas of expression that will never find their way into American Idol or Eurovision…These Wings Without Feathers is not for those interested in continual reiterations of ooh baby I love you. Indeed, the music is as poetic and as personal as darkness itself.
Maple-seed helicopters struck me as wings without feathers: little marvels of natural engineering that both define and defy the world as it truly exists. In thinking of obscure, brooding music (Lisa Gerrard does a spooky, chill-inducing cover of “All Along the Watchtower,”) I found myself thinking of rivers as well…grand, serpentine bodies of water, small creeks, and even man-made tributaries. I found rivers—at least in shape—within featherless wings, and I wondered at stories that might be told of such rivers. Oh, I’m sure something will come out at some point: Maple-seed inspiration doesn’t just go away—it simply takes a while to percolate.
I’d posted a smaller version of this picture as a genre challenge—Shadows—and went on to other photographic pursuits, including the notorious “spin and jiggle” technique that so intrigues me now. In looking back, I’ve found this wing without feathers, and thanks to YouTube, I’m able to search for (if nothing more) snippets of that album. I’m sure I’ll find something. After all, one can find nearly anything on YouTube. It isn't surprising that this image is an homage to some of my favorite musical creators, as well as muddled associations inspired by a Maple-seed helicopter on a day prior to the emergence of charming caterpillars. As both homage and picture, I enjoy this little natural helicopter, and so I figured I should post it before moving on to something else.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope that you’re all having a great week.
Comments (28)
kgb224
Stunning capture my friend.
bmac62
Your image and title today fit perfectly:) I wasn't sure what I was seeing in your thumbnail...as it should be...leading me right into your descriptive narrative. Maple-seed helicopter? Yes indeed. But the name has been a newer acquisition for me. I remember my father coming home from working at Mitchell Field (a major Air Force base on Long Island, NY in the late 1940s). He said something like, Wow, I saw my first helicopter today...it was flying over a parade going up and down with the music the band was playing. Think that was sometime in the late 40s. Before that, these wings without feathers were "Polly Noses" because the word helicopter was still not common in our everyday vocabulary. Fine macro Chip and an inspired short story.
MrsRatbag
Wow, I've never looked at them this closely! You do invite us to see things differently, and so well!
auntietk
Wowww ... what a fabulous photograph! I love the title (and your explanation). The detail of the veins is spectacular. Excellent work!
danapommet
This could have been so many things Chip that you knocked me over with the maple seed thing. The veining inyour capture is amazing and I need to think macro more often - maybe after i buy a unipod. :>) Dana
Crabbycabby
Great back lighting.
MrsLubner
stunning detail. Amazing shot.
blinkings
Mandelbrot would be proud of this!
helanker
You really captured the details in this little wonder very beautifully. I love this shot as becauuse of its beauty, but also because I just LUUUV such stunning macros of the nature. Superbly done, Chip.
Sepiasiren
very lovely
durleybeachbum
Very special! A most interesting narrative, i shall have to do a little research.
Meisiekind
This reminds me of so many things Chip but the first thing that jumped to mind was a huge river delta with all the contributories, rivulets and streams... I love this image with the light shining through to emphasize the delta of veins! Most wonderfully seen, photographed and explained! A joy to look at and read!!
lick.a.witch
This is simply magical. When I first looked at it, I thought it might be part of a butterfly wing. Then trees, reflected in water. This really is a prime example of the viewer seeing what he/she expects to see. Your explanation is superb! ^=^
Mondwin
Superbly macro!!!!!!!!!!Bravissimo!V:DDD.Hugsxx
flavia49
marvelous! so delicate and powerful!
cv1
stunning |!|!|!|!! These are all around my house and the kids play with the "helicopters" but this is definetely a new look! Thanks for opening new visions!
ShadowsNTime
You picked a subject I know tons about, lol, tons of those helicopters are everywhere here and their purpose is obvious as all these little trees sprout up so easily...even in the window frames and any mossy area on the roof. Phenomenal things they are. I tried capturing them as they rained down from the trees and I got a couple that you could tell were them, the rest looked like little blurry whirlwinds! This is the exact thing I was talking about when I said that my father told me to honor the inner child, you have that kind of vision, to see things with new eyes and find the joy in each tiny thing that others miss or take for granted. This is why I love the native way, seeing and honoring every living thing. And I love that you associated this to the music you love, and that you share your great perspective on even the smallest of things. I watched a documentary last week on the March of The Penguins, an awesome thing to see, and I told my Alex that the love shown between mates was like watching a beautiful ballet accompanied by wonderful music. I don't know the music you speak of but I can see music in the image. This is an incredibly beautiful image that brings to mind angels and the veins lend themselves to beautiful naked trees! And your writing superb as always!
jmb007
bonne photo!!
jac204
Awesome capture!
sandra46
FANTABULOUS SHOT, I LIKE THE SMALL VESSELS, AT LEAST I BELIEVE THEY ARE VESSELS, THAT FORM A DENDRITIC PATTERN ON THE WING! I THINK IT'S A KIND OF SEED I KNOW!
mermaid
this is an absolutely amazing shot, Chip, I always loved this little helicopters, but I have never seen them in such a poetic shot!
jocko500
wonderful close up
minos_6
This is a superb capture which is perfectly illuminated. You really have a unique eye. I keep discovering things that you and I have in common, and an appreciation of Lisa Gerrard is the latest. I'm sure you must also know her work with Dead Can Dance. She seems to do a lot of movie soundtrack work these days, and her vocals always make the scenes they grace so much more intense and meaningful.
beachzz
This seems to soar on its own--a flight of fancy!! Beautiful shot!!
praep
Looking through such fruits is always a great look - I did some shots last year. Very nice shot my friend. Btw.: Congrats on beeing in the "Last Week at the Galleries".
lucindawind
fantastic detail and backlighting !
myrrhluz
Once again you have sent me on a interesting journey, first through your image and words, and then into the realms of sound. I listened to Lisa Gerrard as she extolled over the beauty of the sound of traffic rushing through a tunnel and sang the sound, giving witness to her amazing voice. This led me to the music of Rhett Brewer, which I listened to for a while. Gorgeous image! I love the light shining through the leaf, accenting the intricate pathways of the veins. Beautiful background! Very interesting narrative! I love the new way that I look at things since I started painting and renewed my interest in photography. As always, I felt your curiosity and fascination with the world around you in your writing. It is always a treat to spend time in your gallery. I learn new things, discover new joys, (I'm now listening to snippets of Lisa Gerrard songs and heard a tiny bit of one I really like the sound of, "Hymns of a Promised Land") and enjoy your sharing of your thoughts. (Another good one called (River Dance). It sounds like the movements of a river) All this to say, I like this a lot!
carlx
Fantastic photography, light, details and mood!!!