Reeding Answers

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.

Bob Dylan pondered many questions in that iconic song. And of course, there answers were, well, blowin’ in the wind. And that in turn conjures up images of things blowing in the wind, and what better thing to represent that than a simple reed?

We hum (or sing if we are so inclined) that song quite a lot, but often, with a surprisingly cheery lilt. Yet, when it comes down to it, the song isn’t really about cheery things at all, and the questions it asks are not easy ones to ask or answer. Mountains washing to the sea? Cannon balls flying? Doves “sleeping” in the sand?

This tune was indeed running through my head as I was composing this shot. I didn’t, and don’t, have any answers, but it seemed to me that this shot represented the song quite well. The wind for me continues to blow: perhaps one day it will carry to me the answers.

There are different sizes of this photo available at our portfolio. Reeding Answers is available for purchase, as well, and you can have this print framed and delivered right to your door.

Crane Flight, originally uploaded by ifringe.

I’ve been known to live on the edge of focus. And, more often than I would care for, I fall off that edge. In this case, however, I achieved what I set out to–namely, getting those three geese in the middle spot on while leaving the rest tantalizing out of focus.

How did I get this shot? By being completely against my nature, which is to say, patient. Just outside of the Bosque del Apache, there is wonderful pond–it’s not a big pond, but nor is it small. And best of all, there is nothing whatsoever preventing you from walking right up, and into it. Naturally, this was like a siren call to me once I saw the pond was full of Snow Geese. Grabbing a camera I headed down to the shore and plopped myself down to wait and see what develops. For no explicable reason the Snow Geese started swimming my way from across the pond. “Wonderful, I though to myself,” as I continued to sit there. Then, to my utter astonishment they started getting out of the pond pretty close to me. At this point, there was no moving, no getting up, and no way to think about any other piece of equipment save the nice long lens I happened to get (which made sense at the time, since they were across pond, not next to me. Anyway, one makes due with one has and thus was born my idea of very selective focus.

Time passed, and eventually, the snow geese did, too. But between the time they landed to my right, then passed me on land to my left, this particular shot presented itself. The Three Honketeers led the way from there to here to there. What an incredible experience to be part of and the memory of being in the middle of a gaggle of geese wandering around will be with me for a long time to come.