Ladybug by Chipka
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Description
It was a quiet afternoon. A familiar catalpa tree had gone to seed and so enormous bean structures hung from the branches like strange, alien ornaments. Sparrows fought over crumbs strewn (by random accident) on the sidewalk, as—somewhere—a truck rumbled along an unseen street.
It was late afternoon, and the first signs of Autumn had already begun to assert themselves; sunset was coming earlier and earlier with each day. Late afternoon resembled early evening. The promise of cooler temperatures (and indeed, snapping, frigid cold) drifted among the clouds. It was still warm, however; people still wore shorts.
The Perfect Cup is a non-smoking establishment, and so I stepped outside for a quick infusion of nicotine and other comforting contaminants. The light was a perfect thing: green-filtered through catalpa leaves and the leaves of other trees harder to identify. It reflected in the colors of sunset off of windows and from bricks in the colors of straw and sand. As I smoked, I wandered around with my camera, intrigued by the tree that has become my arboreal mascot. I saw seed pods half as long as my arm, and leaves like heart-shaped dinner-plates fluttering in the wind. Upon close inspection, I saw a ladybug, ambling along the edge of a leaf. I stole a picture, another, and another, until one of them came out clearly. Ladybugs move quickly, and avoid the shadows of human-sized creatures. They are a challenge to photograph, but perseverance pays off.
On a quiet afternoon, I captured a ladybug and catalpa leaves and today I played with the image, fascinated by the shadows and the textures and the riot of dots the ladybug offered. I’d spent a while with this charming little insect, until it spread it carapace, flexed its wings and found another leaf on which to forage.
It was a good day.
Of course this is a tweaked image. I liked the idea of highlighting the ladybug, while rendering my favorite leaves into something shadowy and full of mood. The texture of the leaves intrigued me as much as their color, and I found that in desaturating them, something shifted. They became more leaf-like, and—consequently—more mysterious. At least to me. And the ladybug, left in its original color, made the sort of bold declaration that only an insect could make. It is a small thing: immensely pleasurable, but for me, the smallest things are always what makes a difference, and so here is a ladybug…a small thing.
As always, thank you for viewing and reading and commenting, and I hope you’re all having a good week.
Comments (25)
clbsmiley
This is stunning! Love it!! And the narrative too!! :)
kgb224
Stunning work my friend.
5391151
Neat....I get tons of Ladybugs in my place...literally inside.
NefariousDrO
I love it when you do things like this, the strong color of the insect against the grey tones is wonderful. And as always your thoughts and the way you convey the is a true joy.
Sea_Dog
This shot caught my from the thumbnail page - brilliant composition and selective color and great detail. And of course when I saw who had posted it I knew I was in for a verbal as well as visual treat. I can picture the dance between you and the ladybug - her on her normal ways and you seeking the perfect POV and composition. Well done, Chip.
MrsRatbag
Fantastic work, Chip; well done!
MOSKETON
INSUPERABLE.
jocko500
this is a wonderful image of the bug eith color
lwperkins
A bright little exclamation point on that leathery leaf! the b/w brings out the leaf texture so well!
beachzz
This is just SO awesome (sometimes that's the only word that works!!)--wow!!!
auntietk
Fantastic! I love the composition, with the ladybug heading toward a dead end, a blind alley, a decision point ... or nothing at all. Excellent image!
MaraP
Amazing image, excellent post-work!
micturn
You're very right about the leaves, and that compo is awesome.
durleybeachbum
A most successful compo!! I so enjoyed the read too.
helanker
What a lovely image Chip. I think you did a splendid job here and your thoughts and words were really lovely too. I love both.
faroutsider
It certainly was a good day...
sawade
Hi Chip, in Germany are the first signs of automn to see too and I like the little ladybugs. They are welcome here, one of the few insects, which can be sure, not to chased by the human. I like always the symphony of grey with a little spot of color, of a littel ladybug, smile, its a fine picture, all the best Bernd
sandra46
terrific manipulation with the B/W image, and very contrasted at that, and the bright ladybug. I also lake the asymmetry of the shot, with the colored focus near the border. A great work!
redchilicat
My favorite kind of photos! Absolutely perfect!
flavia49
extraordinary image!!
lick.a.witch
Perfection. Just a stunningly beautiful image! ^=^
MagikUnicorn
B E A U T Y
praep
Well done color separation work.
minos_6
I agree, the desaturation has produced an amazing effect with your leaves, which seem almost hyper-textured. The spot of colour is really pleasing on the eye (even if I don't see red!), and I really like the hidden depths to this mage suggested by the out-of-focus leaf in the background. One of these days, I'm going to visit The Perfect Cup, to see if I'm right in thinking I already understand the ambience there......
danapommet
Sweet digifiddling! Dana