ruffed up

this photo ended up looking like an illustration. it’s actually feathers from the neck (or ruff) of a ruffed grouse. i brightened it to the point where it began to look like sketch lines. the semi-circular curls and occasional s-curves of the feather barbs kept drawing me further into the image, my eyes jumping from one delight to the next. the only thing lost with the over-illumination was the delicate, irridescent band of midnight blue at the tip of each feather. when the light catches them just so…pure magic.

grouse ruff (neck) feathers