Ringed Turtle Dove, Oakland Zoo 1986

This is Volker Seding's photograph of Ringed Turtle Doves at Oakland Zoo, printed on a small sheet. The photo has a casual, snapshot aesthetic that’s really appealing. Seding’s picture feels like an invitation, with his slightly off-kilter composition and a subdued color palette. The lush greens of the foreground play against the grays of the cage structure, creating a kind of visual tension that keeps me engaged. Take a look at the bird at the top of the enclosure, perched atop the cage. It is a peacock, but it is positioned perfectly in the composition to act as a kind of wild, untamed guardian, overseeing the other birds within. This placement highlights how the entire image is built around contrast, an invitation to consider the piece’s emotional core. The casual feel here is reminiscent of the work of some of the New Topographics photographers, like Stephen Shore or Robert Adams, who were also drawn to the poetics of the everyday. In the end, it is this easy-going quality that lets us project our own experiences onto the image.