intersecting ripples

I am linking up with Photo-Heart Connection, choosing one photo from last month that really connects with my heart, and think about why it does so. This is a rewarding challenge because it makes me really think/feel about what I capture with my camera, how I choose to edit it, and what exactly am I trying to communicate with each image. I think of it as what makes it a Photograph instead of just a snapshot.

I took this photo a week ago Sunday, while on a Walk and Click Wednesday excursion. I had my Lensbaby with the plastic optic lens...just playing with it and learning what it can do, strolling around nearby Crown Hill open space park, with its peaceful little lake and abundant waterfowl, shooting into and towards the setting sun. I think this was the only keeper from that afternoon.

I am drawn to this photo for a couple reasons: the almost magical effect of the rim light on the birds, branches, and even on the little bits of melting ice; the warm glow of the setting sun. I like the Lensbaby blur effect. That's a brief summary of the aesthetic appeal. 

The Photo-Heart Connection is in the subject: a family navigating life's challenges. It's as though I am watching a play about this family of birds, living day to day together, traversing the icy lake, sometimes walking/skidding on the thawing ice, sometimes swimming/gliding through the water. I noticed that the transition from ice to water was not always gracefully executed, but they manage to recover nicely...and stay afloat. If one slipped and panicked it was only shown in a brief flutter of wings...but then all was okay. The others seemed oblivious to the struggle, letting him recover on his own, apparently not wanting to interfere.

What caught my eye when I shot the photo were the two little wanderers, off doing their own thing, their watery ripples briefly intersecting with those of the group. They reminded me of my daughters, recently moved out and on their own.

Notice the ever widening pattern of intersecting ripples radiating from each bird: its own circle, initially independent, but gradually intersecting with that of its neighbors.

It reminds me of how our family is...sometimes we stay close together, sharing in the big and little moments of life, the joys and the sorrows. Sometimes we go off and do our own thing, needing a little space to discover who we are. Our ripples eventually intersect, connecting us in mind and heart...always there for one another.

Always.

xoxo