Allison Kelly's Struggle for Clear Photo Yields Artistic Design

by Allison Kelly*

In February 2020 I made my first visit to a pond just outside Boyertown in the hopes of getting some photos of ducks. Back then I was still physically able to drive my car short distances, and my destination was only ten minutes away.

As I turned off the highway and approached the pond, I spotted a lot of white birds and for a few thrilling seconds wondered if I had stumbled upon a gathering of snow geese. Many people post on Facebook when they get pictures of these migrating birds; I enjoy seeing the photos but also feel a little jealous that I’m not able to go searching for the birds myself.

As I turned into the gravel parking area by the pond, I realized the birds clustered on the shore were SEAGULLS. Since there is no ocean nearby, I wondered why these birds were so far inland. I grabbed my crutches and camera and struggled out of the car as quickly as I could, but my movements caused the birds to take to the skies. I made a few half-hearted attempts to photograph the seagulls wheeling above me, but with the limitations of a fused neck and old point-and-shoot camera, I knew the results would be blurry.

I wasn’t tempted to sit on the poop-smeared bench, so I retreated to my car. I maneuvered the vehicle around the parking area (no one else was there) so I could take pictures through the windshield. I also opened my side windows for clearer images, but my fused neck made it impossible to turn my head. I twisted my body as best I could and knew my muscles would be sore the next day. Luckily, a few seagulls landed on the shore in front of my car, and I snapped as many pictures as I could. I was looking into the sun so was not sure if I was getting any good pictures or not.

Later when I downloaded the pond photos onto my computer at home, I was excited to discover this shot of a seagull with interesting wavy lines (tree reflections) in the water behind it. I love reflection shots. I cropped the photo to make it vertical and added a little more contrast to counteract the slight cloudiness from taking the photo through my windshield. I think the photo looks like a design you might see on a tapestry, blanket or totem pole. What does it look like to you?

Please comment or e-mail me at noteworthynaturephotos@gmail.com. Thanks.

* Despite Allison's juvenile rheumatoid arthritis rending her physically limited, she has always enjoyed the outdoors. Growing up on a family Christmas tree farm – she could literally go over the river (creek) and through the woods to her grandmother’s house - instilled a love of nature in her at an early age. As an adult she’s learned that nature has its own story to tell, a story she likes to read and relate through the lens of her camera. Today she drives a scooter when taking nature photographs and turns them into note cards available at Engage Arts Studio, 1005 Gravel Pike, Schwenksville, or on-line in her shop on www.noteworthynaturephotos.com

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