Pollen on a roadside puddlePhotographer : John MacPherson Camera used : GR DIGITAL III
This spring in Scotland we had an unusually high amount of pollen. I was out in a rural area just after it had rained, and noticed this pattern formed in a roadside puddle by the pollen landing on the water surface and being moved slowly by the wind. Pollen is a hugely important part of the functioning of our ecosystems, but we virtually never ever see it. So it was very rewarding as a nature & environment photographer not only to find such a wonderful natural pattern, but to notice that it also looked very similar to the painting ¥'The Scream¥' by Edvard Munch, with the contorted pollen pattern resembling the tortured face in the Munch painting. I was able to stand across the puddle and take some frames as the pollen swirled around below me. However this was a fleeting phenomenon as the warm sun soon dried the puddle and the pattern vanished. My View is often one that finds a slightly different perspective on our world, and having a small high quality camera like the GRD3 in my pocket at all times means I can take advantage of these opportunities when I see them.
This image shows very well the pollen tracks created by the movement of the water below. In the overall ripple pattern, the imagination sees many things. The fine lines create gradations which are very beautiful.(Judge:Ryo Ohwada)
