Fascinated by Feathers

“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.”
― Emily Dickinson

Since I first started photographing, I have had a fascination with feathers.  Some of my all-time favorite images are those of birds or of close up images of their feathers.

Rooster’s Rainbow, an image I captured in Charleston, SC years ago, remains to this day, my favorite image.

It did not surprise me at all, on my last trip to Charleston, to find myself spending time trying to capture the beauty of the birds that surrounded me.

The first image is of the patterns of a guinea fowl.  The day was brightly lit by the sun, so I waited until these birds moved into a shaded area to take a picture so that there was no harsh light on the bird.

The pattern of the guinea fowl reminded me of a favorite skirt I wore much earlier in life.  A personal connection is often what helps us enjoy or create an image.

But most of my time, that morning was spent with a peacock who was willing to pose for me for an extended period of time.  Although he never fanned out his feathers, I found the details of his side so amazing.  This image was a different look at a peacock.  I always try to come away from photographing a subject with something a little different than from other times I have shot that subject.

I look forward to my next opportunity to photograph the amazing patterns that nature provides on birds.