A blackbird perches on a dried wildflower stalk, suspended between the sky and the ground as the day ends in a blaze. Shamanic legends hold the blackbird as ushers to the Otherworlds, using their songs to lull unsuspecting listeners into a trancelike state. But not all birds that are black are evil. The raven is a symbol of divine providence - on several occasions in the Bible, God sent ravens to provide food for his faithful servants.While I neither was lulled or fed this particular evening, the skies over northern Illinois certainly created an otherworldly skyscape.
Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph copyright 2007 James Jordan.
4 comments:
Another beauty, Mr. Jordan. Did you use flash to light the foreground?
Just plain fabulous....the sky, the bird, the foreground, and of course your story...I'm hooked on your blog!
Very nice shot James! Sunsets are my favorites, and you've captured a beautiful one!
Thanks, everyone. jam, yes, I did use a flash for the foreground. The exposure was one second. The day was quite windy and I hoped that the foreground grass would come off a bit blurred and that the burst of flash at the end of the exposure would add enough detail.
wanda, I appreciate all your comments and am glad you find Points of Light to be a worthwhile investment of your time.
kim, thanks. Belive it or not, this scene is beside a suburban outlet mall here in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. I saw it developing while my wife and I were out shopping and grabbed my photo gear out of the car to capture it. I used the low angle of the shot to help hide an auto dealership just over the rise. The blackbird was a bonus.
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