New Directions

Today I thought I would share some of my recent explorations in creating expressive images. I’ve been moving my work in

and I’m starting to like some of my new creations. It’s been fascinating and fun to work with my photographs in this new way. And since I began working on this idea I’ve spent hours and hours experimenting with various ideas and techniques.

I’m combining photographs that I’ve made in different ways to create new images that speak of beauty, struggle, light, darkness, growth, decay, hope, and perseverance — the full catastrophe that life is.

“we all come into and go out of this world as passing gatherings of structured energy.”
― Jon Kabat-Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness

Organic

At this point I’m calling my collection of images Organic as that is the one thing all of them have in common. They all contain scenes from nature and flower photographs.

Some of the images work better in black and white, others are meant to be in color. Eventually I think I will have two distinct collections, one black and white, the other color. Today I’m showing you some of my black and white images.

It is deeply satisfying and exciting to move from simply recording the beauty I see to creating these images that feel like so much more.

Landscape

Isn’t it plain the sheets of moss, except that
they have no tongues, could lecture
all day if they wanted about

spiritual patience? Isn’t it clear
the black oaks along the path are standing
as though they were the most fragile of flowers?

Every morning I walk like this around
the pond, thinking: if the doors of my heart
ever close, I am as good as dead.

Every morning, so far, I’m alive. And now
the crows break off from the rest of the darkness
and burst up into the sky—as though

all night they had thought of what they would like
their lives to be, and imagined
their strong, thick wings.

— Mary Oliver