Pods by Chipka
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
I don’t actually know what these are: pods of some sort, but beyond that, I have no clue. They’re brown. They’re small. They’re dry. I saw them last week while wandering around with Corey. It was a warm day—rare in a week that saw more cool, damp, and breezy days that I was accustomed to. (Rumor has it that we’re in for a cold winter. The Farmer’s Almanac seems to confirm this, to a degree. And so, with winter virtually breathing down our necks, Corey and I ambled around on one of the last remaining warm days of the year.)
It was my intention to find a spot along the North Branch of the Chicago River, and photograph it, endlessly. I found it, a bit later. I found two Hassidic gentlemen, as well. They didn’t wish to be photographed, and so I stuck with the river, and with foliage. Before that time, however, I was intrigued by seed pods. Dry seed pods. As the wind blew, they rattled like castanets, spewing seeds downward and into the grass below. I’d just written (and posted) The Ashes of Argenton and so I wondered if these were some weird variant of wooden-folk nursery pods. Alas, they weren’t…they aren’t…but it’s a nice association.
Though I don’t know what these pods actually are, I like them. They’re nicely fuzzy, nicely detailed, wonderfully complicated. There were green pods--equally hairy--but for some reason the brown and dry ones drew my attention the most.
I took this photo during broad daylight, but there was a wind and so I resorted to using my flash; I was interested in capturing something other than pod-shaped blurs. The flash worked well, and since it was daytime, the background darkened immensely. I love the effect. I consider it to be in-camera postwork. Indeed, the in-camera postwork is all that was done to this photo, other than resizing and a minor crop. It felt strange to actually leave a picture alone, but I like it in its unmodified state.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re having a great weekend.
Comments (24)
kgb224
Wonderful capture my friend.
redchilicat
Gorgeous light and texture! I wish we were nearing the end of warm weather here :( it is miserably hot and humid.
CoreyBlack
I'll make this short as the hand is still rather fragged up, and you're sitting next to me at the Perfect Cup. I like this a lot! It has a slightly other-wordly quality that sucks me in. I rememmber this day well, but not you making this picture. I suspect this was while I was photoging that 1975 Dodge Coronet or doing the low river shot. Nice work as always.
myrrhluz
Beautiful detail and light! The guy on the bottom looks like some kind of beatnik alien. I see a mouth and a lot of hair. The green ones make me think of Japanese lanterns. I like the way they recede into the distance and the way they look like they are dancing in the wind. It looks like a merry dance. Excellent capture! We are still quite hot, though Hermine did cool us down a little.
THROBBE
Great shot and excellent narrative as always!
MrsLubner
Hypnotizing...I am drawn to this and consumed all in one.
auntietk
Oh yeah ... flash plus seedpods equals FAB photography!! I've only done it once, but the result was spectacular. Glorious light, fantastic texture ... excellent work!
MagikUnicorn
BEAUTY FROM INSIDE OCEAN ;-) (Michigan, Superior...) :)
Charberry
Beautifully done. I did that once with the flash. Must explore with more, someday. Seedpods are a great exhibit of form, texture, light, and color. We have an old oak tree behind us with seedpod, but it had not occurred to me to try a photo of them, as they are so very high and far up there in the tree. Maybe I will venture it with enough inspiration.
beachzz
this rocks---looks like alien pods--wonder what happens when they open?? could be that invasion everyone fears!!
Sepiasiren
very lovely
helanker
OH Yes. THey are really special looking and once they make me think about an advanged fractal, then a royal crown.. or in all, part of a golden chandelier. I really love this shot in its clarity and warm colors and light. You really captured it beautifully.
durleybeachbum
Rather regal and I'm SO curious as to what the flower was like! Super macro..you must try and remember to get a spring pic for the boring old naturalists like me.
lick.a.witch
Completely 'other worldly'! Flashing this would never have occurred to me! Wonderful outcome, especially the texture! ^=^
prutzworks
cool shot with xlt lighting
blinkings
This is my kind of shot. Just like little aliens! Great work mate.
flavia49
love their alien look!! fantastic!!
sandra46
gorgeous image! I love it! it looks as if tiny stars came down or strange marine creatures are swimmig in the black depths of the sea!
NefariousDrO
Fascinating photo, I can certainly understand your fascination with the brown ones, they accent the details a bit more, but I suspect it's more likely because of the stronger death/rebirth affinity: these pods are clearly dying, and will eventually fall off, yet they are distributing seeds, that conceal and protect the next generation that will appear in the spring. It's positively dionysian.
moochagoo
Brilliant contrast. Bravo !
mbz2662
Very nice capture.. I like that effect with the flash :)
praep
Landing pots for animal helicopters (dragonflies) maybe. Well done shot.
minos_6
This is superb! The darkness you created in this image with your flash is right up my street, and I like the way you focussed the camera, so that the out of focus seeds and the darkness give lots of depth to your image. The pods themselves look baked, and a little burned. I can see why they would be more interesting than the green ones. My final point is that this image captures some type of strange intimacy which I am at a loss to explain further, but suffice to say that this goes straight into my favourites gallery!
danapommet
Cool looking seed pods and great textures. Dana