Free as a Bird
Love for beautiful imagery doesn't lead to cityscapes and man-made objects very often for me. "Free as a Bird" is one of the exceptions.
I was in Chicago for a photography exhibition. One can only hang around inside for so long.
Millenium Park in downtown, has a large piece of sculptural art, colloquially referred to as The Bean. It's official name is "Cloud Gate". It was designed by Anish Kapoor, an Indian-born British artist.
The sculpture is large, measuring 33 feet high, 42 feet wide, and 66 feet long. It's easily large enough to walk under. When people near it, the curved surface shines back with warped, carnival funhouse-like reflections to the viewer. I really applaud him for this interactive work of art. If you go there, you're more likely to spend an hour as opposed to 10 minutes.
I often use the camera viewfinder as a frame to isolate parts of a scene, scanning around with it up to my eye. I was definitely trying to capture an image devoid of the hundred or so people present. As I did so, a seagull flew through, and I instantly knew the kind of composition I was going for.
I was aiming high enough to avoid the ground and people, while still capturing most of the sculpture - and a lot of sky. Subtracting the ground provides no visual clues, and is part of what makes the image abstract.
The next 20 minutes was spent watching for gulls flying in proximity, and preparing to release the shutter at the right time. Numerous birds flew through in those 20 minutes, sometimes in unwieldy groups, but most at an undesirable height or unflattering angle. Finally one posed almost perfectly.
"Free as a Bird". What does it mean to you?
I know what it means to me.
It also reminds me of The Beatles track, of the same name.
Free as a Bird is available for purchase in the Abstracts gallery.
Wishing you the "Peace of Light".
Thomas Cakalic
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