Interesting Photo of the Day: Eye of the Flamingo

Interesting Photos

In photography, it’s never enough to reiterate the importance of having eye contact in an image – it’s that important. Eyes can inject life in an otherwise lifeless image. This is the sole reason why we always emphasize the need to have the eyes tack sharp. Besides adding a sense of life, eyes also convey emotions and set the mood of the photo. Consider the following image of a flamingo that photographer Melissa Cormican took at the Los Angeles Zoo. It’s the eye that speaks volumes:

“Eye of the Flamingo” by Melissa Cormican (Via Reddit. Click image to see full size.)

With the bird peeking over its wings, it almost gives the impression that the bird is shy about having its photo taken. But the intense eye contact, on the other hand, leads us to believe otherwise. The eye in this image is such a small part, however, it’s able to capture our attention immediately. That’s really powerful.

“I was fascinated with the eye contact towards me and was curious as to what this inquisitive flamingo might be thinking.”

Another impressive aspect of this image definitely has to be the lighting. While one might think that this portrait was shot in a studio environment, it was actually taken in a zoo. Even the black background in the image is from the natural shade.

It’s evident from this single photo that Cormican has quite an eye when it comes to taking animal portraits. The lighting on the bird is perfect, the image is shot at the perfect moment, and the mood it conveys is astonishing. No surprise that this image bagged her an award.