The two ravens (see post from a couple days ago) flew down from their dead tree perch. Both were experienced bandits, wise to the ways of humans. At this point I was sitting on the ground with my tripod, in front of my parked car; the rainy weather had kept most visitors away, and there were just the three of us at this popular high mountain roadside lookout.
I talked to them, asking for a pose: "Okay, now turn slightly sideways - thanks." Who knows what they thought; I didn't realize until later that they were probably more interested in the squashed grasshoppers and other insects on my car's grille than in cross-species conversation. Silly me. They must have thought I was jealously guarding my larder. More than once in the past, ravens have performed this mutually beneficial service, but on this day I was too focused on getting a decent portrait.
I wondered if I should digitally remove that streak of a raindrop slicing past the raven's neck. In the end, I left it alone. I am reminded of a photo editor in the mid-1990s who returned a set of slide dupes to me, worried that several images of fireweed had "long vertical scratches". These were raindrops, and I considered them part of the composition. As in any profession, photo editors are a mix of consummate professionals and pretenders unable to find their ass with both hands. I've worked with award winning designers who found grace and beauty in image sets that I thought were ordinary, and others who could not discern the difference between an outhouse and the Sistine Chapel. We are a strange lot.
It doesn't matter. Ultimately our work is an expression of our relationship with the world outside our skulls; if it's good, there will be a glimpse of something universal. Call it heart, or maybe soul. How others receive it is up to them. Some are going to "get it", and others will not. I like to think that most -perhaps all - of my Flickr friends are driven by a similar passion, and in fact I care more about what they (you) think than most of the designers and editors with whom I've worked over the years. I guess that is what defines "community". I'm here to share images and ideas. I'm more interested in comments than gold stars, and this is probably a good time to reiterate that I automatically block those who show up here and fave my work, but who have nothing of their own to offer. If anyone is offended by this, please google the verb "to share".
Photographed in Manning Provincial Park, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2019 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
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