Snagged feather blowing
Click for greater clarity.
Another thing I found on July 20 when I wandered along the east bank of Waller Creek adjacent to Chesterfield Ave. in north-central Austin was a small feather that had gotten snagged on a drying stalk and was blowing in the breeze. It takes only a wee bit of wind to make a feather do a lot of moving, so I raised the shutter speed on my camera to 1/500 of a second to try to stop most of the motion. Many of my attempts failed, but this one came out reasonably well.
© 2012 Steven Schwartzman
What fabulous detail. That appears to be one well-traveled feather, too. It looks like it’s been snagged and unsnagged more than a few times!
shoreacres
August 13, 2012 at 6:25 am
You make me wonder if anyone has ever done a study of how long a loose feather typically blows about, getting snagged and unsnagged in the process. This was clearly a feather, but with some found objects I’m not sure whether I’m seeing part of a feather or part of a plant (e.g. the fluff of a thistle or Clematis drummondii), because different realms of nature sometimes incorporate similar structures.
Steve Schwartzman
August 13, 2012 at 8:59 am
Das Foto ist super!!
einfachtilda
August 13, 2012 at 6:32 am
Danke, Mathilda. Hier heiße ich Federmann, und nicht Schwartzman.
Steve Schwartzman
August 13, 2012 at 9:03 am
Nice shot. I’m enamored with feathers. Take them whenever and wherever they appear.
lensandpensbysally
August 13, 2012 at 8:37 am
That’s a good thing to be enamored with, Sally. I don’t remember seeing any on your blog; have I missed them, or are they yet to appear?
Steve Schwartzman
August 13, 2012 at 9:06 am
Quelle belle alliance que celle d’une plume et d’une brindille. J’aime beaucoup. Très jolie photo. Ca ne doit pas être évident de la prendre si nette lorsque le vent souffle.
Bonne journée.
lancoliebleue
August 13, 2012 at 10:16 am
Merci de m’avoir appris le mot brindille, que selon mon dictionnaire étymologique était autrefois brindelle, diminutif étrange de brin.
Val says this is a beautiful joining together of a feather and a twig, which she finds makes for a very pretty photo. She also notes that it can’t be easy to tell whether the subject is in sharp focus when the wind is blowing.
Steve Schwartzman
August 13, 2012 at 11:29 am
I think it came out beautifully!
Cindy Kilpatrick
August 13, 2012 at 5:54 pm
Thanks, Cindy. It took a bunch of tries to get one that worked.
Steve Schwartzman
August 13, 2012 at 6:07 pm
You always find the most unique things!
Michael Glover
August 13, 2012 at 7:48 pm
I’m always on the lookout for unique things, but I have to confess that over the past few years I’ve come across snagged feathers several times, so perhaps they’re not so unusual.
Steve Schwartzman
August 13, 2012 at 8:28 pm
A well captured feather! Lovely shot.
Mufidah Kassalias
August 15, 2012 at 6:27 am
Merci, Mufidah. I hope it charges up your day.
Steve Schwartzman
August 15, 2012 at 6:38 am