What can we do in the face of unsettling change, eroding confidence and civility? The world has tilted in the direction of uncertainty. Social, economic and cultural norms are shifting and many are being dismantled.[1] Droughts, tornados, fires and flooding are becoming more frequent and severe. Technologies are evolving faster than the wisdom to manage […]
What had to happen for these leaves to be photographed? Trees have long thoughts, long-breathing and restful, just as they have longer lives than ours. They are wiser than we are, as long as we do not listen to them. But when we have learned how to listen to trees, then the brevity and the […]
How to grow a living system—like a business Often in my contemplations there are both practical and ephemeral considerations. On the practical side, this image represents a critical lesson that, in my professional life, took me years and many trials to learn. It’s a lesson in strategy when trying to create a social entity such […]
This image resulted from inspiration I received many years ago after seeing the work of Jerry Uelsmann, a master of the multiple printing technique. His work caught my attention because he was a graduate of R.I.T.. Although the word inspiration derives from inspiratio, which is Latin for “divine guidance,” a modern dictionary renders it a […]
They don’t really “fall” of their own accord, they’re evicted Function Leaves serve as solar collectors for a tree, gathering carbon dioxide and water from the atmosphere to create energy—sugar—through photosynthesis. In the process, they release oxygen into the air. For a tree to stand tall and survive the ravages of wind, rain, snow and […]
“Fall,” yes. Also a demonstration of Nature’s color palette—and more. The coming of Fall triggers my appreciation of the things that make the season delectable—sweater weather, yellow, orange and red trees, cider, pumpkin pie, apple farms and Thanksgiving. When the leaves begin to fall and the temperature dips, my thoughts turn to the possibility of […]
From Above and Below Whether planted by a human being or disbursed by an animal or bird, seeds gravitate downward toward life-giving substances—water and elemental nutrients. The root of this dried Queen Anne’s Lace plant shows how it reached into the soil in a variety of directions, and we can estimate by the size of […]
Life’s determination to expand from a center or core Layering is how many things grow organically—from the inside out. Metaphorically, when we want to understand an object, system or process we “peel away” the layers so we can see what’s inside or what’s happening. It’s the basis for analysis, taking things apart to look “under […]
There’s more space than matter here, but the combination served a beautiful purpose. Photographed in Venice, Italy When we look at a chair, we see the wood, but we fail to observe the tree, the forest, the carpenter or our own mind. When we meditate on it, we can see the entire universe in […]
In 1753 Carl Linnaeus classified pine trees in the Pinus genus. Until then, they were called “fir” based on the Germanic word fyr, which meant fire, light and the rising sun. The word “pine” derives from the Latin word pinus and the Sanskrit word pituh meaning “sap, juice or resin.” Their evolutionary story begins in the early Jurassic […]
Contemplative Photography 