Hidden Beauty

Welcome to Parkview Ridge Wildflower Garden in Plymouth, MN. It doesn’t look like much when you drive by. But if you stop and wander on the path through this small wildflower garden you can find

just by slowing down and paying attention to the life all around. When I visited the garden this morning bees buzzed from flower to flower. A gentle wind blew tall grass stems back and forth. And a single monarch butterfly flitted from milkweed flower to milkweed flower hiding in the tall wild grasses.

The greatest tool that a photographer has at their disposal is the quality of their attention. The ability to attend—to concentrate our energies in a desired direction—forms the foundation of our work with materials and our dialogue with the world….Attention is a form of seeing and caring. It is a force of union that connects us first to ourselves, and then creates an invisible bond with others and the world itself.”

— David Ulrich, The Mindful Photographer

I happened upon this small wild area in Plymouth a few years ago when we were looking for a shortcut to someplace we were going. Most years I try to remember to visit the little garden with my camera this time of year when the wildflowers are in bloom.

Attention and Intention

Whenever I approach this garden I spend some time simply standing on the path that winds through the middle of the tall grasses. I try to let go of expectations and simply sink down to embrace what is growing all around me. I’m always surprised by what I see and the small scenes of grace and beauty that I discover.

The eye of the mind, the eye of the heart, the eye of the body; these are limited forms of perception—partially, incomplete. Mindful seeing integrates the vision of the eyes, mind, and heart—and intuition—into a broad and embracing field of awareness that can resonate with the outer world.
— David Ulrich, The Mindful Photographer

It is only when I become fully present in a space like this that I encounter its beauty. If I am distracted or in a hurry or disappointed because it doesn’t appear to be very photogenic, I miss the beauty that is there waiting for me.

Resonance is a function of attention. I believe that attention is visible in a photograph. It is a kind of force field of presence. The invisible link of our attentive connection to subject matter is made visible in an image. Photography is a test of our attention and a reflection of what we care about and pay attention to.

— David Ulrich, The Mindful Photographer

I spent no more than 15 minutes in this wildflower garden today. When I returned home and downloaded the images I had made I was astonished. So many of them spoke to me of the feeling of my time there. And so many expressed my love for wild places, the breeze in my face, and sunshine on my shoulders.

Wishing you a lovely rest of the week my friends. Slow down and take in the beauty of life all around you.

May you walk in beauty.