Black bird, pole and wires, Truth or Consequences

This photograph of a raven flying above a streetlamp, snapped at a particularly lovely (and lucky) moment when the bird took flight from its perch on the lamp pole, makes a strong artistic statement despite the prosaic nature of the subject matter.

The light conditions have bleached almost all color from the scene, rendering the raven’s arrowhead shape and the tangle of electric infrastructure a stunning inky-black. The muted clouds accentuate the beauty and dynamism of bird, wires and pole.

Juxtaposed by chance, the photograph’s subjects become an exquisite still life—perhaps (if one lets the imagination run wild) a free-form study of the essential elements of a flower: stem, stamen and blossom.

—Commentary by Tom Hinson, editor, Photograph of the Week

Editor’s Note: Click on the photograph to view it in a light box for even greater clarity.

Professional, amateur and phone-camera photographers alike are invited to submit images to the Sierra County Sun for possible publication in the Sun’s “Photograph of the Week” feature. The deadline for consideration is every Friday at 5 p.m. For further information, click on the Help Us Report button on our home page and then check the box labeled “I want to submit a photo to Photograph of the Week.”