Photographic Composition: Choosing The Focus

What you choose to focus on when taking a photograph largely determines what meaning that image will convey. This is one of the most significant choices to be made before snapping the shot.

An effective way to demonstrate this is to look at images whose content are almost identical, but whose composition is altered by the choice of focus. Almost identical images can have a completely different impact on the observer.

The following two photos show Mt. Blanc in the distance with a corn field in the foreground. (Click on images to see larger.)

The first photo focuses on Mt. Blanc and the mountain ranges in front of it, while the second focuses on the corn field. In this photo Mt. Blanc is the predo- minant subject. Here the corn field serves to indicate the local environment and emphasizes the distance to Mt. Blanc.

In the second photo the corn field and its immediate surrounds are the subject of the photo. The almost dreamlike vision of Mt. Blanc in the background gives the scene added charm and majesty. The sky here appears almost flat; it's almost as if the mountain and the sky are a flat backdrop. While in the first photo, the sky has more depth and feels present equally over the cornfield as over Mt. Blanc.

This somewhat dull photograph is transformed into something almost abstract by a change of focus.
With the focus on the window, the raindrops come to the fore. The image is intriguing. The softness of the colors in the muted scene are pleasant and the eye moves around the entire image looking at the different raindrops. It's soothing and gentle, almost like watching the nuances in a fire or a flowing stream.

Another way of choosing the focus is to allow different amounts of content into a scene.

The next two photographs illustrate this point. They are very similar, but the second includes slightly more foreground than the first, making the scene even more appealing.

In the photo below, the observer is able to see the wild flowers in the field alongside the house.













This gives the scene a sweeter look. It emphasizes that the house is in the countryside, adding a more peaceful atmosphere to the composition.

This is further enhanced by the fact that the white line down the center of the road gives the impression of movement, contrasting with the lazy feel of the quiet, calm house and its surrounds.



This photo is about a statue (and, unfortunately, a bollard).






The one below is about a statue, and a bridge decorated with colorful flags in a festive town in the mountains (and, a bollard).


If you can mentally edit out the bollard, you can see that the choice of subject focus here completely changes the message of the image. (If you can't, I guess these photos might also show that I was unable to get out of the car to take the photos without the bollard.)

Two shots taken of the same mountain at almost the same moment convey a completely different feeling. This one shows the grandeur of the mountain, giving a scale of height and enhancing that largeness by the contrasting house at the bottom of the picture. The clouds in the sky show change and movement.

The second photo zooms in to focus on the peak, giving more detail and yet, at the same time, less information.






The fascination focuses on the cloud close to the peaks and in the ruggedness of the cliff faces. The mood set here is slightly oppressive with the cloud sweeping low.

And last of all, though hazy scenes can be appropriate sometimes, getting the camera to focus before pressing the button to take the shot is usually preferable.

Cleaning With Non-Toxic Substances

Do you ever get a headache, a sore throat, or feel dizzy after you clean the house, or after doing the laundry? Many conventional cleaning products are extremely powerful and contain many untested and toxic chemicals. For further information about the chemical content of commercially available products see previous post "Chemical Sensitivity and the New EU Chemical Law".

If you want to clean with non-toxic substances, white vinegar and baking soda can get you a long way. These two substances have many uses, both in cleaning a home and in dealing with laundry.

White vinegar diluted with water can be used around the home to clean windows, glass, floors, and to remove odors and grease from walls. The concentration of vinegar to water can be varied according to the strength needed for the job.

After working with it for a while, it becomes easier to determine what ratio is required, but a good place to start for these tasks would be approximately 1 part vinegar to 10 parts water. More vinegar can always be added as needed.

White vinegar is also good for removing calcium deposits from taps, sinks and shower heads. A shower head can be soaked directly in the vinegar, while for taps and sinks a cloth can be soaked in full strength vinegar and placed over the calcium deposits.

A very dilute solution of vinegar and water is useful for softening clothes and even hair. Rinsing the hair, after shampooing, with a weak vinegar solution makes the hair shiny and soft. A small amount added to the rinse water will also soften laundry. In both cases, if a dilute enough vinegar-water solution is used, it won't leave either the hair or the laundry smelling of vinegar.



Baking soda can be used as a mild scrubbing agent that won't scratch surfaces and it's also a good odor remover and a fairly good whitener.





White vinegar and baking soda together can be used to remove odors and some chemical substances from fabrics. Many new clothes have been treated with fire retardant chemicals and often clothes made out of cotton have a strong pesticide content. People with chemical sensitivities often find that wearing such garments can cause them to react. To learn more about chemical sensitivities see "What Is Multiple Chemical Sensitivity?". A very effective way to remove these substances is to soak the fabric in water along with vinegar and baking soda.

The vinegar to water ratio that works best is approximately 2 or 3 parts vinegar to 4 water. Four to five cups of baking soda is effective for the equivalent of a small to medium load of laundry. These are approximate measures and they can be varied according to need. Using either vinegar or baking soda alone, without the other, doesn't usually work successfully. Once the fabric has been left to soak for several hours it can then be washed and rinsed as normal.

For most new items it's best to do this at least twice, and usually three times is necessary, in order to fully remove the pesticides and other chemicals. In my experience, after soaking fabric this way four times, it's unlikely that further treatment will be effective if there's still residue that causes a reaction in the user.

This process doesn't remove fabric softeners or strong laundry detergents from fabrics. I've never found a way to do that. If anyone knows a way, please tell me. I'd be very grateful to know how.






Vinegar and baking soda are easily available and economical. They provide a simple solution to using non-toxic substances for many cleaning tasks.

Jasmine And What's A Cage Door For?

Jasmine makes great use of her cage door. She has many answers to that question. You might at first think that a cage door is a rather mundane object. But Jazzy does many things with it. She thinks it's a great place to...

...hang out...



...swing...








...stretch those muscles...











...ham around...



...do pull ups...












...rearrange a few feathers...











...look at what's on the floor (usually it's what she's put there!)...

...scratch an itch under the chin...














...play at being behind bars...


...do a bit of hatha yoga...




















...act cool...







The top of the cage door is her favorite place to perch when she's out. It's her place of choice to...

...sit and think,

and sometimes these thoughts move into the evil realm of plotting how to get to the avocado plant in the corner (she actually succeeded yesterday in chomping one of his leaves!)...






...chat...




...do some personal grooming...
















...look totally angelic...






And finally, when she's had enough of being out and about, she closes it so she can settle back into her cozy home inside.

How To Clean A Trumpet

A new trumpet is a wonderful thing. When you tap one end of it you can feel all of the instrument vibrate. An energy runs through it that almost makes it seem alive in your hands. When you blow through it, the sound rolls out easily with little effort. It's a fantastic feeling.

To maintain that vibrant sound and feeling of responsiveness in a trumpet, it's necessary to clean it regularly. The optimum maintenance plan is to clean it every time you finish playing. It doesn't take very long and it's easy to do.
Start by taking it apart, taking especially great care when removing the valves. Slide them out gently.


The valves are numbered along the shaft from 1 to 3 so that each one can easily be placed back into the appropriate slot.
Run water through the trumpet body. If this is done regularly soap is probably not needed. For a more thorough cleaning the trumpet can be submerged in a soap water solution.
.






This snake, shown here, is then threaded through all of the tubing in the trumpet in order to clean the inner surfaces. When wet it becomes flexible enough to reach round all the curves.






The same can be done for the slides...












...and then the valves themselves. It's very important not to scratch or dent the valves.


The mouthpiece can be cleaned using a gentle soap solution along with the mouthpiece brush.








After all of the parts have been cleaned then it's good to dry the trumpet. If you really like to get a good clean shine on the inside of the leading pipe you can use a soft cloth on the end of a string and thread it through.Then it's very important to grease the parts. There are many different types of grease available, and some people prefer some things to others. I mainly use the Yamaha Valve Oil and sometimes use the Yamaha Slide Grease.

Apply a small very thin layer of the Valve Oil to the valve... .















...and then gently slide it back into the correct valve slot.
I also use the Valve Oil to grease the slides. (There's far more oil applied here than should be used, but the longer setup time to take the photo resulted in much more oil escaping from the bottle.)






And that's all there is to it.



This will ensure that your trumpet has a long life and continues to give you the full satisfaction of vibrant, dynamic playing. Well, of course, there's the practicing to do!

A Car Trip Up Le Saleve, France, Part II

Once we got to the top of the road (see Part I for the journey up) we could see the view on the other side of Le Saleve. The white peak in the middle of the mountain range is Mt. Blanc.


Down the hill from where we were standing there are houses.



Some of them have garden plots.
Looking to the left there's a house that has a magnificent view over the entire valley and all the mountains that circle it. Click on photos for larger image.


Further to the left there's a nice restaurant with an outdoor terrace; they also serve great desserts.

In front you can see where we parked the car to stop for the view.


Turning even further, with our backs to the view of the mountains shown in the first photo, there is yet another restaurant.




We got back into the car, passing with this restaurant on our right.



A short distance along, we stopped to look at an even broader panoramic view of the mountains. This time Mt. Blanc is on the right side of the photo.

Gradually turning south, the panorama unfolds.


Turning further you can see the expanse of the valley.



Turning even further south, Annecy Lake can be seen in this photo. For more about Annecy and the Lake you can look at the Annecy articles posted here in Parts I-V.


The Alps are stunning.
The road goes further up the hill to a place where it's possible to see the valleys and mountains on both sides of Le Saleve at the same time.

Right here the camera batteries ran flat, both of them! The shots shown, in the rest of the article, from the top of Le Saleve were taken on another day, which is especially noticeable because, as you'll see, there's a sudden development of clouds and a more winter appearance. This didn't happen last Saturday!

The top of Le Saleve is a favorite spot for taking in the views, and the locals enjoy coming up to have a picnic in the cool breezes at the cliff edge.This shows the Lac Leman looking over to the Jura mountains and North, towards Lausanne.

Looking back to where we came from in the Geneva valley below Le Saleve, this shows the valley south of Geneva. The Jura mountains are on the far side.

You can see Geneva spread out down below, along with the famous Jet d'Eau, the 140 m high fountain.

How Do You Communicate?

How do you communicate? Almost certainly there are many answers to that question. We all communicate in an infinite variety of ways, some of which we may not even be consciously aware of.
Communication is one of the most fundamental building blocks of family, business and society in general. Order and understanding arises out of successful communication. Every person has a unique viewpoint. Listening and observing is crucial to sharing with and enriching one another. We can gain an appreciation for many things that are beyond our own personal experience by learning from what others have to say.

Each form of communication involves a host of intricate nuances. For instance, in speaking we assume that the listener's comprehension of the meaning of a word is the same as our own. This basic premise is something we often take for granted. Or we may think that the listener is able to process information as quickly as it's delivered; so we may expect them to fully comprehend a situation as soon as we've finished describing it.

Sometimes these assumptions are correct, sometimes they're not. If they're not, misunderstandings can arise which may not be a result of a difference of opinion, but which occur due to a difference in the premise of communication and of the speed with which that communication is fully understood.

We communicate in all sorts of ways: speech, writing, equations, pictures, works of art, body language, music. These expressions become a part of our culture and we often rely on our knowledge of references to historically established meanings, such as symbols or events.

People differ in their preferences of communication and excel in different ways of expressing themselves. Some prefer to write, draw, talk, dance, sculpt, sing, play an instrument, prepare food....




Equally, we all have a means of expression that we find easiest to comprehend.

Vital and common to all forms of communication that result in a beneficial outcome are:

1. a positive approach to the subject being considered, and
2. an inherent respect for the listener or observer.

Including these two aspects as a basis for any expression or conversation provides an optimal arena for successful understanding. Easy as it sounds, it's surprisingly difficult to remember all the time.

A Car Trip Up Le Saleve, France, Part I

We went up Le Saleve in France on Saturday. It's a small cliff-edged hill (or mountain) approximately 1100-1400 meters high, on the East side of Geneva just outside the Swiss border. There are a several ways to get to the top: driving by car, cable car, cycling and even hiking. A good number of years ago we hiked up the cliff face on a dirt path.



.To the left of this view, much of the cliff face has been quarried, leaving the light-colored bare rock to view.


The road at the base of Le Saleve is now lined with many new houses. There has been a lot of construction in this area in recent years.










There are pretty flower-lined streets and sidewalks.





.Looking up you can see undisturbed nature in its rugged beauty.If you look closely, you can see paragliders. This is a very popular sport on Le Saleve. The sport involves running down a tilted platform off the edge of the cliff - that is a sport for the brave-hearted, and isn't something I could persuade myself to do, no matter how lovely it might be to glide around up high.Fortunately, the world is made up of many different types of people!





As we make our ascent from the base of Le Saleve we see flashes of bright color from the side of the road.











The hills are bright green after all the rain we've had recently.





Looking back it's possible to see the valley south of Geneva.


The road starts out gentle, but further up it winds in tight bends with very steep gradients, forcing the driver to first gear on a couple of the curves.












On the way up we were surrounded by woods.





Nearing the top the trees thin out and the sun on the grass is a welcome sight.

On reaching the top we were greeted by open fields and a vast expanse of sky.




My most favorite scene of the trip is this one of the field and the bales of hay.Shortly after this we reached a spot with fantastic views over the other side of Le Saleve. Stay tuned to see them!

Managing Goals

We're moving house. Well, there aren't any boxes packed yet. But we've been working hard this week to set up the new place before we move in. I've spent the day scrubbing in the kitchen and then peeling plastic wallpaper off the walls. There's lovely white painted wall underneath that's just perfect. I've worn out a scrubbing brush this week, which I consider to be quite an accomplishment!

For weeks it has rained most days, and has been unseasonably cold. Today, however, was a glorious clear sunny day, and this afternoon I was working with the sun coming through the open window, pleasant breeze wafting over my head. It was a great feeling.

There's something very satisfying about hard physical labor - yes, that was it, when you stop for the day!

When we expect certain things from ourselves this can create a noticeable pressure. It can even turn into stress. When a set of expectations becomes impractical it makes good sense to look at the situation and figure out whether those expectations are reasonable. If it's possible to be flexible with them, then it's worth accepting new criteria and to allow ourselves to define a new goal.

This week we have family visiting. We're going to have lots of fun out and about, and in between I'll be working on more setting up of the new place. I had hoped to be able to post articles regularly as usual on DweezelJazz during this time, but I may need to adjust my expectations for the next two or so weeks. So, we'll see what happens and ride with the flow.

Do What You Like To Achieve Success

If you really want to be successful: do what you like. It's that simple. If we really enjoy something and do it often, we become better and better at it. It's a very nice thing to say, but can this approach really make us successful?

The real question to answer here is: What is success? Success is relative; it very much depends on the context. If we're talking about a hobby, success can be completing a project. If we're talking about work, it can mean bringing in enough money to sustain a family. To one person it may mean becoming rich. For another it may just be the satisfaction of accomplishment regardless of monetary return.

At whatever level we choose our success, doing what we like is a much better strategy than doing what someone else likes. It's extremely difficult to know what will please other people. And what pleases one person may displease another. If what we like to do is please other people, then this approach is perfectly suited. But, otherwise, measuring our success in relation to doing anything just to please others doesn't make much sense. It's difficult to be fully motivated when the going gets tough if we don't like what we're doing in the first place.

There are always things we're obliged to do that we may not like so much. There's a time for doing what we like. We may have obligations that require us to dedicate much of our time doing something we don't enjoy. But if we find ways to pursue whatever it is we do like, as much as possible in our spare time, we may find that an opportunity opens up in time. In the future it may become possible to more fully integrate what we like doing with our own goal of success.

I have some t-shirts that are super comfortable (which is something I like) and that I love to wear because of what they say. I discovered these a few years ago and have several different colors and designs. They're from a company called Life Is Good.There's a story about the two brothers who started this company. At first they tried to sell, door-to-door in college dormitories, t-shirts they had designed. It didn't go so well in the first years: they lived on peanut butter and jelly and slept in their van. It wasn't until they included a little character they had created with a super grin, that their t-shirts started to really sell. Jake expressed everything they believed in with his message of optimism. And this idea and passion for what they held dear struck a chord in many others. Now they have hats and shorts, shoes and all sorts of things for sale with Jake and the Life Is Good motto. Following their dream eventually made them successful, even if at first it seemed it wouldn't be so.On the front at the bottom of the t-shirt is a small patch sewn on which says: "Do what you like. Like what you do." This cheers me on every time I see it. I also have a yellow Life Is Good baseball cap.

You may remember from the Jasmine posts on DweezelJazz blog, that Jazzy chooses a lot of things she does. In fact she expresses her opinion about everything she does or is asked to do. Whenever it isn't imperative that she do something - which is most of the time - she's allowed to say no. Quite a while ago, I asked her if she wanted to do something and she clearly didn't want to. I said to her then, "Ok, Jazzy, do what you like." I didn't consciously make the connection with the t-shirts or anything else, but was just allowing her the respect she deserves.

I hadn't said it often, but it seems it meant quite a bit to the little girl, because she worked on it, practicing it herself, long before I knew what she was trying to say. Now it's her motto; it's one of the things she says most often (apart from 'shower' and the fact that she's a 'good girl'). She says it at least once a day, usually in the morning: "Jasmine, do what you like." And she says it in context and clearly knows what it means.


In my book, Jazzy's a successful character: she's happy. She gives those around her a tremendous amount by doing what she likes and being who she is.

Jasmine Goes Out For A Drink

Jazzy lets us know if she wants to come out with us. When we ask her out we tell her if we're going for a walk, or a hike or a ride (in the car) and of course all of the above involve a picnic, at least for Jazz. We then tell her to get on her wooden perch, which is where she always gets on our hand with an 'up-up' from us. She often joins in saying 'up-up' too and then adds 'You're a good girl!' for good measure. If she happens to be on the wooden perch when we ask, she'll actually get off it if she doesn't want to come. Often, if we've all gone out in the morning, Jazzy doesn't choose to join us in the afternoon. But last Saturday she did.

In the morning we had gone out around town, which you can see in "Jasmine Goes Backpacking". We came home had lunch and then decided to go out for an afternoon jaunt.

We went for a short drive around the countryside and stopped at a cafe for a drink. The sun was shining and it was very warm. Jazzy was feeling the heat a bit. Even though she has water in her bowl in the travel cage she was giving the glass of a water a long interested look.







She needed a drink, so she joined in and had some.
And she guzzled...











And guzzled...


And, well...

(even if they were small droplets)


...guzzled some more.







After she wet her whistle, she felt loads better.


Then we set off into the hills on a short hike.






Jazzy was clambering around as usual.
















After we had gone a ways on the trail, we stopped to feel the cool breeze and listen to the sounds coming from the woods.




It was a gentle, mellow moment.

Following Nature's Example To Reduce Pollution And Energy Waste

If human beings learn to behave more like swarms of insects, schools of fish, flocks of birds, or herds of animals we could make better progress with reducing pollution and taking care of our planet.

There are an increasing number of reports in the news related to climate change and pollution. It's becoming more and more clear that we need to take large scale action in order to optimize what the future holds for us and our world. There have been a few articles recently which illustrate clearly that we're jeopardizing the welfare of many people throughout the world already.

Back in May, a BBC article, "Oxygen supplies for India police" announced that police stations across Calcutta in India were equipped with oxygen devices to enable police to offset the effects of pollution. The article says that a recent report showed that 70% of the people in the city suffer from respiratory disorders, such as lung cancer, breathing difficulties and asthma, and that the police were among the worst hit by poor air quality. Doctors have cautioned that the oxygen may not help the policemen because "many of the pollutants are too deeply lodged in their lungs".

Another BBC article, published earlier this month, says that a report was quoted in a Financial Times article to say that "High levels of air pollution in China's cities leads to 350,000-400,000 premature deaths...Another 300,000 die because of poor-quality air indoors." There seems to be some dispute over the figures, but it is apparent from reports that increasing numbers of people are dying due to pollution.

Health problems all over the world are increasing as a result of pollution. Climate change is also becoming more noticeable as a result of our actions. A Greenpeace article "Expedition documents melting Himalayan glaciers" says that climate change is threatening the glacier source that provides water for one-sixth of humanity. The article says that scientists predict that 80% of the Himalayan glaciers will disappear within 30 years at the current warming rates.

Pollution and climate issues are clearly becoming more pronounced with every passing year. The key to reversing, or at the very least, slowing the progression of these problems is to raise general awareness to the severity of the problems. It seems there's still quite a ways to go to convince the majority of the population, as can be seen in the BBC article: "'Scepticism' over climate claims".

Seth Godin makes a great point in his blog post "Times a million". He says: "The way to sell the distant is to make it immediate." Be persuasive by presenting an argument that's personally meaningful by making sure it's something relevant to the person's experience. If the majority of individuals become convinced that these issues are important this could lead to a huge change.

The Live Earth concerts held this last weekend were a great way to combine pleasure and fun along with drawing people to a venue that raises awareness of what individuals can do in their own daily lives.

A couple of days ago I came across an article, "Swarms", at the Patagonia blog, which drew my attention to an article in National Geographic entitled "Swarm Theory". This article discusses the behavior of large groups in nature, such as bees, ants, schools of herring, herds of caribou. It looks to answer how the collective group can act as one unit in the best interests of all of them as a whole. Vijay Kumar, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania is quoted as saying: "In biology, if you look at groups with large numbers, there are very few examples where you have a central agent."

For animals traveling in large numbers, coordinating their movements with one another is vital to their staying alive. No one animal is in charge. The overall behavior relies on communication between individuals, while each individual follows a set of simple rules, each one acting on local information. The individual doesn't know what's happening throughout the entire community. The sum of these relatively simple actions by each individual adds up to a complex behavior of collective intelligence.

Software programs have been modeled on this simple behavior and are being used to successfully create management strategies for complex business processes, such as routing trucks and scheduling airlines. Using this type of behavior model is making the businesses much more efficient than they were when a centralized intelligence dictated what was to be done.

This emphasizes that one of the most effective ways for human beings to make a difference in any endeavor is for each individual to act according to a basic set of guidelines, according to what is possible or needed in their local vicinity. Swarm theory shows us how vitally important and effective it really is for each of us to make each small effort towards reducing pollution and energy waste, even if we don't understand or know what everyone else is doing.

Jasmine Goes Backpacking

Jazzy agreed to go in her new travel cage with the backpack part on it today! This is the same travel cage, Adventure Pack Bird Carrier, that Jazzy only recently just agreed to go out in at all; for more about that you can see a previous post: "Jasmine Goes to the Market".




Before this Jazzy didn't like to be covered, especially by something dark colored. We've been doing laundry together, she's a great little helper, and gradually she's been getting used to all sorts of materials and colors.

Recently it has rained so much that we haven't been going out as much as usual. Today the sun shone bright and the sky was clear and nothing could stop us going out in it! Not even dark covered travel cages.

Jazzy experimented climbing around before we went out.


We were all eager and happy to be going out. Although some of us had to work on getting right side up before we could leave home.









We went to the market again, and after buying a couple of things, we stopped at the cafe. Walking there, Jazzy was chattering away. This is novel because very often when we're out she's rather quiet (which I can assure you is not her usual state as she is a chatty little girl all day at home!). It seems she felt more secure with her backpack covering.

It's a very secure cage with the backpack on, and it's very nice to use. Another great advantage of the backpack is that it protects Jazzy from the direct sun.




We like the cafe very much because they're always happy to see Jazzy and they have really cheerful cups and saucers. Every time we go they have different color combinations.

Jazzy enjoyed munching on banana and apple. She loves both, but usually when we're out she requests the banana be served first.
Once all the banana is gone, she'll eat the apple very gladly. She has us extremely well trained in most things!

We had a really great time and made a lot of new friends at the market because they wanted to meet Jazzy. After our jaunt we returned home for lunch and then invited Jazzy out again for an outing in the afternoon. Sometimes Jazzers doesn't want to join us and we leave her at home. But today she decided to come. Stay tuned for the next post to find out what we did!

Jasmine's Daily Grooming

Feathers require a lot of maintenance. It is said that the average bird has more than 2000 feathers, but it depends on the size of the bird and where and how it lives. A swan can have as many as 25,000 feathers during winter. Whatever the number, Jazzy certainly has a lot of them!







The feathers must be kept in good condition so that the bird stays warm, and can fly at all times. It's a time-consuming business. And to that end, Jazzy preens at different times throughout the day.





Her neck is amazingly flexible, allowing her to reach most places on her body.
Like many birds, she has a gland near the base of the tail from which she gets an oil that she spreads on her feathers to protect them.













Jazzy is molting right now so we have a chance to see a variety of her feathers up close. She has all types of feathers: fluffy, very small ones and larger ones.

The small one shown here that looks a bit like a firework is one of her down feathers and it's very small. The other one with a touch of pink in it probably comes from somewhere on her body under her wing.

The hollow tubular shaft of the feather provides strength and flexibility and is very light. The feather is made up of barbs, coming off the shaft, which have tiny hooks, barbules, all along them that latch the barbs together. These often become separated and the feather splits (as you can see in the photo). When the bird preens it runs its beak up the shaft, from the base of the feather toward the tip, realigning and reattaching the barbules along the way. When this is done, there are no longer any splits in the feather.








The down feathers don't have barbules and so the barbs splay apart, providing good insulation to keep the bird warm.









The variation in feather size and shape is quite astounding.