Portrait

This photo of the same albatross as yesterday has been framed and hangs on our bathroom wall, so for a couple of years now my most vulnerable and undignified moments have been carried out under that stern gaze.

The line which runs across the cheek is an organ of communication. It opens up to display a bright red line which no doubt is fraught with meaning if you are another albatross. Some of the ways I saw it use were easy enough to translate: Buzz off, this is my fish and Hey babe, whatcha doin' afterwards? but mostly all I could do was sit on the edge of the complex skein of albatross relationships in puzzled awe at their exquisite skills and beauty.

Photo: Nikon D300, Nikkor 18-200 @200mm. 1/320 f9 iso200. Again, apart from a very small crop, this is exactly what came out of the camera.

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