An Inward Flame

About this piece

Mike Gedj frames a flamingo with its neck folded into a pronounced curve and its bill lowered into layered wing feathers. Vivid orange plumage gives way to pale pink, while the nearly black background emphasizes the bird’s silhouette and fine feather detail.

The story

I followed the curve of the flamingo’s neck through the viewfinder, letting the surrounding darkness fall away. Its bill rested among feathers that shifted from deep orange to the palest pink, each layer catching light differently. What held my attention was the small, clear eye within that sweep of color. I wanted the photograph to preserve this inward gesture, an ordinary act of tending feathers made briefly sculptural by the light.