I first encountered the magical moth when there was an unusual electrical storm in the Cape. Usually we don’t see lightning like that or hear the rumble of thunder. I was working late as usual creating light in the darkness and thats when I saw them, white beauties with pink blushes on their wings flapping against the closed window. Wow what incredible moths, I had never seen anything like it before and there were about 5 of them flapping seemingly desperate to come in. I opened the top part of the window and one flew in. That was all I needed, I would wait for it to reach the end of its natural life and then I could examine it from closer up. But somehow that moth mysteriously disappeared and I never saw it again. I began to wonder if I had hallucinated the pink flushed moths. Perhaps they were figment of an electrically charged brain. Many months later I discovered a white and pink moth again. This time I was not going to let it out of my sight. I created a motharium complete with flowers and a dark corner to hide in. I read that moths don’t like daylight and direct sun can kill some of them. And so my pinky moth lived in comfort although be it in seclusion for the last days of its life.
And here is the beauty, although the pink is more orange. Partly the loss of vibrance in death, partly the type of lights I use.
I took 70 photos of this moth in a night. I have to fall completely in love with everything that i photograph and this makes me want to see it from every possible angle with every possible lighting angle because each change presents something new. I am in search of the essence of a being, even in its dead state, there is something so unique to that creature in its form. This is what i explore and never know what it is until i see it in the camera’s digital viewfinder, glowing in the dark, late at night.
I am always surprised as we miss so much with the naked eye. Look at this moths striped pippi langkous legs. Its candy striped body, so bizarre, so magnificent, so unexpected.
Insects are the original aliens.
kalivandermerwe 