This week’s challenge, to capture something ornate, breathtakingly extravagant, threw me a little. I originally thought I could go for some of the beautiful pieces from churches and cathedrals, or the historic places I’ve been to recently.
But then I thought, real complexity is in nature. Intricate shapes and complex patterns are everywhere. God’s palate is much more complex and rich than any man-made structure. So here’s one beauty — a favorite because there are so many patterns everywhere.
A little stroll in Old Havana. Ordinary. And extraordinary.
I have to start with the disclaimer that I know nothing about butterflies except they are beautiful.
Perhaps that’s all I need to know.
I took this photo quite by accident, in that I didn’t initially see the butterfly, or frankly, even look in its direction. I was wandering around the farmers market in Charleston, looking at fruit. I wanted peaches and it seems everywhere I looked people were selling tomatoes. Big, juicy, red, fresh tomatoes, but that’s not what I wanted. I wanted peaches.
I passed a couple selling plants a couple of times as I picked my way through the growing morning crowd. The lens cap was back on the camera, and I let it dangle loosely as I resigned myself to people watching. And more tomatoes. Suddenly, the man caught my attention and called to me.
“Hey! You’re taking the wrong pictures. This is what you want to photograph.” He pointed to a nondescript plant. I made a face at him.
“Come close. You can’t see it from there.”
Are you kidding me? That’s the lamest sales pitch I’ve ever heard. And yet, I went closer. What can I say? I’m the sucker that kept P.T. Barnum in business.
Only, wait.
There was a beautiful butterfly perched on the plant. I had to get close up to see it and get a picture. I was fascinated by the coloring. The blue flecks along the spots are my favorite part — mostly because I’m partial to blue, but also because it triggered some long forgotten childhood memories. I used to love to draw, and that shade of blue and the dusky effect as it moves away from the orange spot was a favorite technique I’d use.
I took the picture. And now, I want to draw.
