Dam birds

[Jeremy Roussak]

I seldom feel moved to comment on feature articles, but some of the photos in this one are truly wonderful. What a way to have spent a year!

Jeremy

[mcbroomf]

+1,   beautiful photography ...

[Mark D Segal]

Superb. Highly imaginative, innovative and well-executed photography.

[Krug]

To my eye many of these images rank among the most creative and beautiful that I have seen for a very long time -  a fascinatingly different  take on nature photography but more than that excellent commentary on a nature v development issue, a good element of humour, and some real artistic flair - very well done and for my penny a very productive grant result.
Excellent - made my morning - thank you to all involved from grant decision through to execution and delivery.

[mcbroomf]

As is my usual want I scrolled through to look at the images.  I then went back and read the article and was even more engaged.  Lastly (and strongly recommended) I visited Paula Van Every's website.  Many more images, also presented larger for the peepers amongst us ...

[amolitor]

She is really very good. The Luminous Endowment has done a superb job of "surfacing" real talent, with real ideas.

[vjbelle]

I am not much of a wildlife photographer or fan but these images could make me a convert.  Very well thought out with superb execution. 

Victor

[TommyWeir]

Fantastic imagery.  The lyrical visual quality of the birds and their lives, the brutal industrial concrete, the endless vitality of the water, and then, the light she so clearly can see and capture.   Great stuff.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

A stunning accomplishment. Fine art of the best sort.

[JohnTrammell]

Fabulous photographic essay, and narrative by the photographer.

[ajz]

Kevin,

A very worthy recipient of the Endowment that Michael started!


alan z

[farbschlurf]

It's good to see, this got supported. Great photography. Thanks.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

As is my usual want I scrolled through to look at the images.  I then went back and read the article and was even more engaged.  Lastly (and strongly recommended) I visited Paula Van Every's website.  Many more images, also presented larger for the peepers amongst us ...

I agree.
I just visited her website, and there is a fine set from 2016, including the ones in the LuLa article.
And then she returned to the dam this year, and I believe the new images are even stronger that the 2016 ones.
Fantastic work.

[Jeremy Roussak]

Thanks for reminding me to visit her site, Eric: there are indeed some gorgeous photos there.

One thing that puzzles me is the prize-winning shot (on the LuLa page). It's fine, but it doesn't strike me as anywhere near as good as at least half of the others and I wonder how it got to be singled out.

Jeremy

[Paula VE]

I seldom feel moved to comment on feature articles, but some of the photos in this one are truly wonderful. What a way to have spent a year!

Jeremy

Thank you so much for the kind words and especially for taking the time to start a discussion on my project. I’m accustomed to submitting or responding to images for feedback in forums, but it was an almost surreal experience to see a topic on my dam bird project started by someone else. I felt so honored! (I’ve been observing since your thread opened but have been flummoxed by LULA’s security protections for posting.)

Trying to respond to your question about the “prize image”: were you asking about “Small Dispute”?? If so, it was a winner in a 2017 state outdoor photo contest with particular constraints. LULA awarded their grant based on the initial application set, with none singled out. Most of the images in this article were shot during the year of the LULA grant and just scattered kinda randomly through the narrative.

[Paula VE]

As is my usual want I scrolled through to look at the images.  I then went back and read the article and was even more engaged.  Lastly (and strongly recommended) I visited Paula Van Every's website.  Many more images, also presented larger for the peepers amongst us ...

Thank you so much for your encouraging comments, and for taking the time to look at my portfolio. I am so pleased (and relieved) that some of the photographers frequenting LULA found my work interesting.

[Paula VE]

Superb. Highly imaginative, innovative and well-executed photography.

Thank you for these comments on my birds. (Imagination is my strong suit but execution is always my challenge.)

[Paula VE]

To my eye many of these images rank among the most creative and beautiful that I have seen for a very long time -  a fascinatingly different  take on nature photography but more than that excellent commentary on a nature v development issue, a good element of humour, and some real artistic flair - very well done and for my penny a very productive grant result.
Excellent - made my morning - thank you to all involved from grant decision through to execution and delivery.

I’m honored and humbled by your comments, and especially pleased that you saw so much of my intent, including the humour that lurks in some of them. These birds often make me laugh but I’m never sure I can capture their comedy - or their drama - in images. Thank you so much for taking time to say these things!

[Paula VE]

She is really very good. The Luminous Endowment has done a superb job of "surfacing" real talent, with real ideas.

Thank you for this, and I’m pretty sure you’re the same guy who did the very nice LULA article on women photographers; if so, thank you for that too!!

[Paula VE]

I am not much of a wildlife photographer or fan but these images could make me a convert.  Very well thought out with superb execution. 

Victor

Thank you! I am not a wildlife photographer either, to be honest. I am a landscaper by preference and practice. I first approached the dam bird images as landscape pictures with birds and concrete in them. Of course that changed as I got to know the birds. Then I began to focus on the actors and considered the dam their stage set.