Kerala is a state on the tropical Malabar Coast of southwestern India. It is 1,300 miles from Delhi, where we began our trip through India, and represents an entirely different culture. This crow lifts off from a houseboat that carried us through Kerala's backwaters for three days. It was perched on the boat’s ornate bow, and lifted off as I pressed the shutter button. The fairly fast 1/250th of a second shutter speed was not enough to stop its movement. Instead I caught the blurred bird just as it was leaving the frame, giving the image enough tension to make it throb with energy.