"Be like the bird that, passing on her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings. "
My second year with the Sandhill Cranes at the Rowe Sanctuary near Gibbon, Nebraska was invigorating, but not without its problems. Of the two nights in the blind provided by the sanctuary only one morning involved the glorious light of sunrise. The other two sunsets and one sunrise were totally clothed in clouds, or near so, and photography became a skill of trying as many options and tricks as I could muster to get some results. The scene above was later in the evening with the last of the cranes coming to the Platte for the evening. I used a high ISO of 1600 and had the benefit of a little fading sunlight sneaking through the cloud cover to add some color the the background clouds and also some light to the under side of the wings of the cranes. I found that the use of the Topaz plug in and some localized blur helped to cut down on the noise in the image as well as using the in camera "noise reduction" aids.
When I first saw the image in my editing software I couldn't help but have a feeling of wonder about what it must be like to have the ability to fly and, with little effort, float in the heavens and look down on the earth without the encumbrance of a skin of steel surrounding ones self. Flying without the fear of falling out of the sky due to some mechanical malfunction and being in total control of ones motion is the one freedom that man will never realize in his present human condition.
A couple of days capturing the beauty of flight with the Sandhill Cranes gives the photographer a real insight into the aerodynamic controls that the cranes use to take off, land and glide in their aerial world. With long spindly legs, a watermelon shaped body and long skinny neck they look out of place and somewhat clumsy on the ground...especially while doing their characteristic "crane dance". Airborne, however, all the pieces fit and provide a choreographed ballet of grace and weightless being.
I was in and out of sleep during the night, but was lulled by the rushing river and calling of the cranes during my time awake. Surrounded by the warmth of my sleeping bag there was great comfort in the "alone-ness" of the dark night, serenade in the background, and bits of moonlight slipping in through the joints of my plywood blind by the river Platte. The comfort of peace was all around and it was refreshing.
For more views of my work visit:
"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa http://www.apieceofworkinc.com
"Art On 16th" http://www.hankhallarton16th.com
Art Of The Vine Gallery http://www.artofthevinegallery.com
Artisans Road Trip www.artisansroadtrip.com
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