Thoughts on Connection
True connection requires being mindful of the present moment. As soon as the present is realized, it is past. Our connection with now is evanescent; this fleeting moment slips away instantly. Brief as it is, the present is all there is to experience. Over and over I search for the ideal light to enhance the essence of my botanical subjects.
French photographer Henri Cartier Bresson described the decisive photographic moment as a split second that reveals a larger truth to be recognized. There is no waiting around for it to happen. It is already happening. To not be distracted by thinking of the past or wondering about the future is the only way to catch it. Seeing clearly in that way takes concentration – a contemplative resolve. Calm persistence puts thoughts aside and simply takes in whatever is in front of us. The impressionist painter Paul Cezanne viewed himself as a conduit between nature and his viewing public, saying “The landscape thinks itself in me….I am its consciousness.”
The stress of living with sickness, conflict, war, and death sooner or later comes to everyone. One antidote is to turn to the natural world for solace. There, reflecting on the transcendental aspects of nature, one can be liberated from troubles. Communing with nature can be a panacea during difficult times. A meaningful relationship can develop with grasslands, oceans, woodlands, and even shifting clouds in the sky. There is a benevolent presence often felt in the woods. We are not alone. Hearing the rain on a tin roof can warm the heart. Our deepest worries are minor when seen against the enormous display of nature’s evolution. We are, in fact, such a small part of the whole. When caught up in the struggle to survive, or endless machinations on what we think we want, it can be hard to discern what is truly important. For me, the knowledge that spring will follow winter and lush landscapes will return each year is enough. Nature makes all the difference.
My credo is “When the heart and the eyes align, the beauty of the world reveals itself”. Although photographs are no substitute for the real thing, I am certain that seeing the primal forms, structures, shapes, and arrangements of nature holds the possibility of soothing our anxious hearts. I have used plant portraits as a reminder of the mystery to be found in the natural world. My camera forges an intimate connection. In this journal I share nature’s oft overlooked details. Holding the hope of your finding peace in nature, I offer you, dear reader, my botanical photography. I hope you enjoy seeing what I have discovered as much as I have enjoyed creating it.
