I shot a lot of interesting photographs right from our window on the second floor when we lived in Salem, Oregon about a decade ago. We were among the first tenants of a brand new apartment complex that bordered open farmland at the edge of the city, just across the Willamette River from Salem, proper.
From that elevated perch I could look out across the land at different terrain, during different seasons, at different times of day, and with different weather conditions. And this generated a surprisingly wide variety of images focusing on an equally wide variety of subjects.
This particular shot was taken as I watched a lone avian cutting lazy circles in the winter sky above the leafless trees. I imagined myself there, above it all and, until one landed, free from cares or worries, drifting on the invisible currents, suspended in a moment of Zen and in harmony with the world.
Compositionally, this image was framed to contrast the liberated bird with the spikey branches just below, illustrating the temporary peace in which it revels with the harsh environment to which it must return. I intentionally left a lot of “negative space” in the top half of the photograph to indicate the boundless realms of freedom through which we might soar, if we dare.
