As the cruise continued, a flicker of motion caught my eye. The following two images mark a subtle turning point in the series. Until now, we’ve been focused on the shorelines, despite the boat’s constant movement, each frame has been anchored in moments of stillness. Aside from the brief highlight of the boat and a crashing wave, our attention has lingered on the coast and the interplay between sky and water. Each shot was framed with care but, aside from the vegetation, all of them remained devoid of visible life.
Here, a trio of birds enters the frame, stitching a living thread through the calm. Their wings slice the pale sky, adding rhythm to a world that had, until this moment, been content to rest. Together, these frames preserve both the fleeting grace of their flight and the enduring calm of the cruise. If you see any images here that aren’t available on Natural Desygns or SM Desygns reach out to me through the Etsy store and I’ll add the image to the correct store. In the meantime, click any of the images to head over to DeviantArt to get a better look.
Though the boat beneath me and the distant shoreline reflected conscious effort, both in engineering and work, these images remained curiously free of life, aside from plants. This is the first image that highlights local wildlife, a trio of birds slicing through the sky. And no, I never learned what kind they were. Given their mode of transportation, I was fortunate enough to capture this moment of elegant motion.
This sight brings the first moment of dynamic movement to the series. These three birds were captured with their wings suspended above the forest’s canopy, caught in soft fall tones. The shoreline below slopes gently, meeting the water with muted grace. The sky remains pale, almost brushed with lavender, lending a softness to the still motion. Their graceful flight added a touch of rhythm to the otherwise still cruise.
It’s amazing how fast some things are. It may sound like a cliché, but those sayings endure because they capture a core truth. In this case, in the blink of an eye, the birds raced across the sky. While I captured more than one frame, the distance they traveled was remarkable. For the keen-eyed, the building now centered at the lower edge of this frame was just beginning to appear in the previous one.
That continuity between frames gives these still moments their sense of flight. Despite that underlying hint of motion, they appear to be frozen in the middle of their journey. Aside from the home, the treetops undulate under them, echoing their still flight. The sky is once again thick with clouds, yet they’re gentle in tone, dappled with textures that suggest movements that are out of reach. The tension between motion and stillness defines this moment, much like the cruise itself. We were adrift, not waiting, just observing the world continue to unfold.
