Strangeness trifecta
So first there was the hole in the pad of a prickly pear cactus.
Next came the tiny leaf inexplicably impaled on some diverging spines of the same cactus.
Then, as I continued along the path leading back down off the bluff over Loop 360 at Bluffstone Dr. on January 21, I noticed a small, bedraggled feather caught on the tip of a dry stalk. When I looked more closely I found that the stalk was the stem of a dead broomweed plant, Amphiachyris dracunculoides, that had somehow broken off near the ground and gotten turned upside down. Now you’ve seen three strange things in a row, just as I did in short order that day.
(The reason that broomweed came to be called broomweed, by the way, is that settlers in Texas in the 1800s used to pull large plants of this species out of the ground, turn them upside down, and use them as brooms.)
If you’re interested in photography as a craft, you’ll find that points 1, 4 and 8 in About My Techniques are relevant to this photograph—and the last two explain the dark background.
© 2013 Steven Schwartzman
Now that is interesting. I had to loolk closely to see that is was a feather. I had not read your posts about it yet. Plenty of brooms to choose from around my county. If only these coud be eradicated so that the grass could grow again.
petspeopleandlife
February 1, 2013 at 10:42 am
As you imply, broomweed can be invasive even though it’s native to Texas. Large stands of it can be a sign that the land was overgrazed or otherwise not properly cared for. Let’s hope any replacement of broomweed is by native grasses.
Steve Schwartzman
February 1, 2013 at 11:10 am
I agree-native grasses is the very best.
petspeopleandlife
February 1, 2013 at 6:08 pm
There is a manufactured look to this object. The stalk has a metallic look to it, perhaps copper. The dark background adds to this impression, as if the object is a museum piece. Animal, vegetable, mineral?
mrsdaffodil
February 1, 2013 at 10:56 am
When I saw this in nature, I didn’t have the impression of anything manufactured, but in looking at the feather in the photograph I can see why someone might think it’s fabric. As for museum pieces, if you have any connection to a curator, maybe you can pull some strings and get an institution to pay handsomely for a set of my nature photographs. I’ve seen stacks of bricks or other common objects that “art” museums have paid tens of thousands of dollars for. Talk about strangeness in the world….
Steve Schwartzman
February 1, 2013 at 11:19 am
Sorry, I should have been more clear. I didn’t mean “manufactured” in the sense of “mass produced”. Rather, the object in your photograph reminded me of an artifact of an aboriginal tribe. Unfortunately, I don’t have connections to a curator, but I agree wholeheartedly that museums and art galleries sometimes contain commonplace and extremely ugly objects. Sometimes they make a worthwhile statement, but sometimes it’s hard to discern any underlying meaning. Most likely you will eventually be paid handsomely for your nature photographs, if that’s what you want. You are already paid with sincere compliments.
mrsdaffodil
February 1, 2013 at 4:04 pm
You were right on: the original sense of manufactured was ‘made by hand,’ so the notion of handicrafts from an aboriginal tribe works well.
I do appreciate the compliments. Thanks.
Steve Schwartzman
February 1, 2013 at 4:56 pm
I think the broomweed decided to go to the costume party as Albert Einstein.
shoreacres
February 1, 2013 at 12:40 pm
I’d theorize that that’s all relative.
Steve Schwartzman
February 1, 2013 at 12:55 pm
I think noticing these little strangies is the best part of macro photography- or photography in general. I only wish I could capture what I see as well as you. STILL wish-listing for a true macro lens, and still figuring out my Nikon DSLR.
wyominglife
February 1, 2013 at 1:14 pm
Those “little strangies”—that’s a good phrase you’ve coined—are among the greatest rewards of what I do. Let’s hope your macro days aren’t that far in the future.
Steve Schwartzman
February 1, 2013 at 1:55 pm
I am particularly drawn to this photograph. You have an uncanny ability to capture movement in a still shot.
Susan Scheid
February 2, 2013 at 9:41 pm
Thanks for saying those things, Susan. I appreciate your letting me know.
Steve Schwartzman
February 2, 2013 at 11:11 pm