Artist Statement
I took these photographs of a tree in the front yard of my house. There were small buds growing on the tree, and I noticed how the texture of the branches and berries stood out against the plain blue sky. It was challenging to take landscape photographs around my yard, because my house doesn’t back up to a forest or field. I found, however that when I took the time to look closely, I could find many interesting natural features around my house. It was exciting to go around my house and look for signs of life, and it reminded me of how I used to go out and examine all of the buds and sprouts in early spring when I was younger. Taking time to explore nature so close to where I live opened my eyes to natural beauty around me. You don’t often have to travel far to be surrounded by nature!
I took these photographs of a tree in the front yard of my house. There were small buds growing on the tree, and I noticed how the texture of the branches and berries stood out against the plain blue sky. It was challenging to take landscape photographs around my yard, because my house doesn’t back up to a forest or field. I found, however that when I took the time to look closely, I could find many interesting natural features around my house. It was exciting to go around my house and look for signs of life, and it reminded me of how I used to go out and examine all of the buds and sprouts in early spring when I was younger. Taking time to explore nature so close to where I live opened my eyes to natural beauty around me. You don’t often have to travel far to be surrounded by nature!
Artist Statement
These photos were taken in the University of Michigan Saginaw Forest, a nature area down the road from my neighborhood. I took these pictures at a marshy area of the trail, on the east end of Third Sister Lake. You can’t see the water very well from the pictures, which disappointed me at first, but I now really like the way the cattails and reeds look by themselves. It amazed me how many shades of browns and yellows there are in nature. Many people think of the color brown as boring, but in examining the wide spectrum of hues in nature, I proved that idea incorrect. These images are a perfect example of patterns in nature, and they are a perfect example of naturally occurring repetition (a principle of design!). This repetition calms and unifies the photographs. This area of Saginaw forest is unique, just like the meadow in the center of the forest or the pines on the Northern Pines trail. The marsh is its own small biosphere inside of the entire forest - it is a delightful surprise when you step out into the hot into the sunlight and a relief when you reenter the shaded, tree-lined path. I was rewarded for coming out to this area by sighting a red-eared slider turtle, my favorite species of Michigan turtle. The turtle was sunning itself on a log, and allowed me to pass by without diving for cover under the water. I guess it was just enjoying the warm spring day like I was!
These photos were taken in the University of Michigan Saginaw Forest, a nature area down the road from my neighborhood. I took these pictures at a marshy area of the trail, on the east end of Third Sister Lake. You can’t see the water very well from the pictures, which disappointed me at first, but I now really like the way the cattails and reeds look by themselves. It amazed me how many shades of browns and yellows there are in nature. Many people think of the color brown as boring, but in examining the wide spectrum of hues in nature, I proved that idea incorrect. These images are a perfect example of patterns in nature, and they are a perfect example of naturally occurring repetition (a principle of design!). This repetition calms and unifies the photographs. This area of Saginaw forest is unique, just like the meadow in the center of the forest or the pines on the Northern Pines trail. The marsh is its own small biosphere inside of the entire forest - it is a delightful surprise when you step out into the hot into the sunlight and a relief when you reenter the shaded, tree-lined path. I was rewarded for coming out to this area by sighting a red-eared slider turtle, my favorite species of Michigan turtle. The turtle was sunning itself on a log, and allowed me to pass by without diving for cover under the water. I guess it was just enjoying the warm spring day like I was!
Stony limits
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Bright buds
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Artist Statement
I took these photos on the main trail leading down from Liberty Road to Saginaw forest. They aren’t extremely “special” but they exhibit simple, beautiful things in nature. These photos were taken at the beginning of the trail, when I first entered the woods. I hadn’t been to the forest since the snow had melted, and I was surprised as I noticed all of the the little signs of spring around me. I took ten or twenty pictures of buds in trees, like those in “Bright buds”. The bright, spring greens were irresistible, and I couldn’t help myself from stopping every few feet to take pictures. It was difficult to choose my favorite ones to edit and publish! I also found several formations of mossy fallen trees and stumps along the walk, including the pile of rocks pictured in “Stony limits” (named after a line in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet). I don’t know how the rocks became piled up like this, if a person stacked them at some point or if the rocks were simply deposited along the path by a glacier or landslide, but I liked the way the green moss looked against the cold, bare rocks. Taking landscape and nature photographs made me excited for warm and sunny spring days after a long, dreary Michigan winter.. It’s been so long since the world was this green!
I took these photos on the main trail leading down from Liberty Road to Saginaw forest. They aren’t extremely “special” but they exhibit simple, beautiful things in nature. These photos were taken at the beginning of the trail, when I first entered the woods. I hadn’t been to the forest since the snow had melted, and I was surprised as I noticed all of the the little signs of spring around me. I took ten or twenty pictures of buds in trees, like those in “Bright buds”. The bright, spring greens were irresistible, and I couldn’t help myself from stopping every few feet to take pictures. It was difficult to choose my favorite ones to edit and publish! I also found several formations of mossy fallen trees and stumps along the walk, including the pile of rocks pictured in “Stony limits” (named after a line in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet). I don’t know how the rocks became piled up like this, if a person stacked them at some point or if the rocks were simply deposited along the path by a glacier or landslide, but I liked the way the green moss looked against the cold, bare rocks. Taking landscape and nature photographs made me excited for warm and sunny spring days after a long, dreary Michigan winter.. It’s been so long since the world was this green!
Artist Statement
These photographs were taken at a pond within the woods on the edge of my neighborhood. I always enjoy walking on the trail by this pond, because I often see creatures along the path. Sometimes there are turtles sunning themselves on logs, or frogs on the edge of the water, or even birds such as geese, ducks, and herons, in the water. The day I took these photographs, I was lucky enough to see one of the more elusive creatures, a tiny garter snake. I also watched a blue heron fly away from pond as I drew near. When I started taking photos, I experimented with close ups of the small grasses and lily pads in the water, but I felt they were too plain and didn’t capture that atmosphere of the pond. I then chose to photograph a larger-scale landscape, of the whole pond, and I really I liked how the water reflected off of the pond. All of my other landscape photos are of plants or skies, and I wanted to really focus on the water in these images. Although I couldn’t get photographs of the heron or snake, I was able to capture an image of a goose through the reeds. When I approached the pond, the goose did not fly away like the heron. Instead, it calmly watched me as took pictures, turning toward my camera as I photographed it. These photographs represent the peacefulness of nature, and the rewards you gain when you are quiet and let nature be, taking only photos and leaving only footprints.
These photographs were taken at a pond within the woods on the edge of my neighborhood. I always enjoy walking on the trail by this pond, because I often see creatures along the path. Sometimes there are turtles sunning themselves on logs, or frogs on the edge of the water, or even birds such as geese, ducks, and herons, in the water. The day I took these photographs, I was lucky enough to see one of the more elusive creatures, a tiny garter snake. I also watched a blue heron fly away from pond as I drew near. When I started taking photos, I experimented with close ups of the small grasses and lily pads in the water, but I felt they were too plain and didn’t capture that atmosphere of the pond. I then chose to photograph a larger-scale landscape, of the whole pond, and I really I liked how the water reflected off of the pond. All of my other landscape photos are of plants or skies, and I wanted to really focus on the water in these images. Although I couldn’t get photographs of the heron or snake, I was able to capture an image of a goose through the reeds. When I approached the pond, the goose did not fly away like the heron. Instead, it calmly watched me as took pictures, turning toward my camera as I photographed it. These photographs represent the peacefulness of nature, and the rewards you gain when you are quiet and let nature be, taking only photos and leaving only footprints.
Artist Statement
These photos were also taken at the University of Michigan Saginaw Forest, but in a different area. They were taken on the Northern Pines trail, named for the pine trees in that area of the woods. It is a unique part of the forest, because there are many pine trees all concentrated in this area, but there are not many pine trees throughout the rest of the woods. I like the pines trail because it is elevated higher than the rest of the forest. The trail branches off of a lower trail, and few people take the pines trail. As a result, the area is undisturbed and quiet. I enjoyed taking close up pictures of grasses and flowers along the path, but decided to use pictures that focused on the pine trees, as they are the most unique part of the trail. I did not have much trouble photographing the pines, as I was all alone with no distractions and the 5 o’clock sunlight was perfect for photography. I spent a lot of time experimenting with the sun shining through the trees, as in "Evening light". It took me a few tries to capture the sun shining through the trees at a good angle, but I persisted and was able to get a great photo. I had limited time to take the picture, as the sun was already moving lower in the sky, but I’m glad I was able to take advantage of the moment and get a sunlight photograph.
These photos were also taken at the University of Michigan Saginaw Forest, but in a different area. They were taken on the Northern Pines trail, named for the pine trees in that area of the woods. It is a unique part of the forest, because there are many pine trees all concentrated in this area, but there are not many pine trees throughout the rest of the woods. I like the pines trail because it is elevated higher than the rest of the forest. The trail branches off of a lower trail, and few people take the pines trail. As a result, the area is undisturbed and quiet. I enjoyed taking close up pictures of grasses and flowers along the path, but decided to use pictures that focused on the pine trees, as they are the most unique part of the trail. I did not have much trouble photographing the pines, as I was all alone with no distractions and the 5 o’clock sunlight was perfect for photography. I spent a lot of time experimenting with the sun shining through the trees, as in "Evening light". It took me a few tries to capture the sun shining through the trees at a good angle, but I persisted and was able to get a great photo. I had limited time to take the picture, as the sun was already moving lower in the sky, but I’m glad I was able to take advantage of the moment and get a sunlight photograph.
Artist Statement
My favorite part of Saginaw Forest is probably the small meadow near the center of the forest. There is a cabin and barn there, owned by the University of Michigan and used for research purposes in the forest. There is also a grassy meadow area and a dock out onto Third Sister Lake. In the spring and early summer, purple-blue flowers grow across the meadow and into the edge of the forest. The first time I went walking in the meadow and noticed the flowers, it was like coming across hidden treasure. It was so exciting to see the pop of color among the green and browns of the forest. Every spring, I look for the first sign of the flowers in the meadow. I’ll find one, then two, and look up to see hundreds of them, a whole meadow of purple-blues stretching before me! I was very excited to find the flowers when I went out to take photos, and seeing them was the best part if my walk. I enjoyed standing in the meadow for a few minutes and watching the bees excitedly buzz around the purple-blue flowers. It was quiet, but busy at the same time. It is interesting how something so small, like those flowers, can have a huge impact on a person. I was very happy I got a chance to photograph them and experience the meadow in all of its glory before the flowers fade into the lush green grass of summer.
My favorite part of Saginaw Forest is probably the small meadow near the center of the forest. There is a cabin and barn there, owned by the University of Michigan and used for research purposes in the forest. There is also a grassy meadow area and a dock out onto Third Sister Lake. In the spring and early summer, purple-blue flowers grow across the meadow and into the edge of the forest. The first time I went walking in the meadow and noticed the flowers, it was like coming across hidden treasure. It was so exciting to see the pop of color among the green and browns of the forest. Every spring, I look for the first sign of the flowers in the meadow. I’ll find one, then two, and look up to see hundreds of them, a whole meadow of purple-blues stretching before me! I was very excited to find the flowers when I went out to take photos, and seeing them was the best part if my walk. I enjoyed standing in the meadow for a few minutes and watching the bees excitedly buzz around the purple-blue flowers. It was quiet, but busy at the same time. It is interesting how something so small, like those flowers, can have a huge impact on a person. I was very happy I got a chance to photograph them and experience the meadow in all of its glory before the flowers fade into the lush green grass of summer.