It probably doesn't come as much of a surprise to anyone who checks these pages from time to time, but I have always been fascinated by patterns in nature, and by the "detail" of everything around us.
Rain droplets on daisy petals
When I was quite little, I would sometimes "borrow" my dad's magnifying glass, take it outside and look at bugs, flowers, bark, rocks, snow and other things... up, really really close.
I suppose a psychologist would argue that it's just an expression of my deeply introverted and introspective nature... I tend to "look within" in a world where the majority of people tend to "look outside."
Center of a Nasturtium flower
Nature As Art...
For my 16th birthday, my dad gave me my first "serious" camera — a really nice Minolta 35mm SLR. Of course, back then (1976), we used film for everything, so photography could quickly become a pretty expensive hobby. Never was that more true than when I was learning!
Unlike many of my friends — who were out in the world taking pictures of parties, family gatherings and sporting events — I was mostly interested in the "inner" world; in the tiny details of everything around us. For example, the header picture here is a close-up of the center of an ordinary white daisy, magnified many times.
Purple poppy, in extreme close-up
There are so many things around us we take for granted, and just barely notice as "being there," without really ever truly LOOKING at them, and seeing what is there. And it is often surprising what things really look like, when you get extremely close to them.
For me, it is strong evidence that nature IS art!
Giant sunflower
Woo-Hoo, It's the Digital Age!
The advent of digital cameras seemed like a dream come true! No longer were my creative explorations with the macro lens constrained by the cost of film and development. That meant I could finally experiment a lot more... without it being very costly.
At the same time — around 1998 — I also started getting into writing and online publishing, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to "marry" two of my favorite interests: Writing and photography.
And that's pretty much what you see here, all these years later!
I never decided to pursue any kind of work as a "professional" photographer... there are already thousands of excellent photographers out there, taking pictures of beetles, flowers and rocks. I'm not really needed!
Water pooled in a cabbage leaf
Similarly, writing is not my actual profession, even though I am deeply involved in the industry, particularly in my capacity as a professional book editor.
But I really enjoy both of these activities... and the fact that I can earn a few dollars worth of rewards here on Hive is just a cool sideline!
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your weekend!
How about YOU? Do you ever take the time to stop and really LOOK at everyday items around you? Have you ever looked at some "ordinary object" under a magnifying glass or microscope... or every strong camera lens? Were you surprised by what you saw? Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
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Created at 20210829 00:20 PDT
0330/1573