Photo Wednesday: Taking a Break

It’s a tranquil day at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge. A couple is on the rear observation platform taking a break and enjoying the view.

For me, what makes this image work is the Ibis napping in the lower right, which balances the composition between it and the couple, and the little splash of color of their blanket, which brings the eye to them so they’re easy to see in the image. Without that, I think this is just another photo of a bird sitting on a stump in the water. I’ve had someone complain that the lack of golden color in the background beyond the trees is “wrong”, but to me, the golden color in the foreground makes this a refuge from the colder, more stark world awaiting us as we continue out journey. Somedays metaphor wins out over brute realism — and frankly, should do so more often in photography than it does.

Gear Notes: Fuji X-T2, 100-400 + 1.4x TC @ 192mm, 1/650 at F/8, ISO 1250