"I saw this beautiful, almost prehistoric looking heron, staged in the perfect symmetry of the lamp post with the painted road line and the balance of the window and door."
I had been filming the birds that land in my back garden where I leave seed out for them. I would film them in slow motion on my iPhone and then slow it down even further when I posted to Instagram. It was mainly blue tits, great tits and a robin that I managed to catch on video, but after a I caught the grace of a slow motion pigeon, I thought, wouldn’t it be great to catch a really large bird in flight.
Later that day I was meeting a friend in Ranelagh village. He was parked on a street with an AIB bank on the corner across from where the triangle used to be. As I walked to his car I looked to my right and this was the image I saw this beautiful, almost prehistoric looking heron, staged in the perfect symmetry of the lamp post with the painted road line and the balance of the window and door. This is what I seek in my images, just that, line and balance. The heron was a bonus without which you definitely would not be looking at this photo and I would not be writing this, but I have many very pedestrian photos of buildings and houses with no such hero centre stage.
I took my phone out and lined up the shot and took two pics. I then backed off as the bird crossed the road to the kerb just a bit down from me. I thought, “It’s happening.” I switched my phone camera to slow motion and didn’t have to wait long before it took off and I caught the whole thing as it flew, sometimes dragon-like up above me to the roof of the house finally perching on the very top. You can see it on my Instagram along with many other themes, techniques, obsessions, and phases I find my self exploring.
My name is Colin Derham, I’m a graphic designer by trade. I’m also a musician and singer. I take photographs whenever possible for design purposes, or whenever I find balance, symmetry or composition in the world around me. It keeps my creativity sharp and reminds me that there is beauty and art to be found everywhere. You can view my work on Instagram @colinderham or @derhamdesigns or get in touch at derhamdesigns@gmail.com.
"In the illustration, we can see Micheál Martin and Simon Harris bow before the behemoth that is Big Tech."
"My illustration features a bird watcher at Bull Island."
"Stephen’s Green, overlooked by the shopping centre, is an iconic symbol of summer in Dublin to me."
"June is deeply associated with Áine, the Irish goddess of summer, fertility, love, and sovereignty, whose presence is especially felt around the midsummer season."
