Photography Portfolio

Nature Photography

“If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for a moment. I want to give that world to someone else.”
― Georgia O'Keeffe

Just like the incredible artist Georgia O'Keeffe, the details of nature fascinate me. I have always enjoyed looking closely at flowers in particular, studying their shapes and textures from the time I was a child and young artist. So even though I love to take photos of beautiful landscapes, I spend even more time trying to get the perfect up-close shot of buds, petals, pistals, imperfections, butterflies, and insects.

As O'Keeffe pointed out, this takes time. She said, "Nobody sees a flower ― really ― it is so small it takes time ― we haven't time ― and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” Much about my photography is about taking the time to really see things, as well as helping others to see the beauty in the details of nature.

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Butterflies, Series I

If you haven't been able to tell by looking through other parts of my website, I am in love with butterflies. They are beautiful and spritely, and bring an inexplicable joy into my heart. Some of the most magical moments in my life, other than my various trips to Disney World, have taken place in butterfly sanctuaries with clouds of butterflies dancing around me in the air. It's even more magical when one lands on your shoulder or your arm.

This series of twelve photographs was taken at butterfly sanctuaries across the country in 2019, in various locations such as Ames, Iowa; San Diego, California; and Butterfly World in Coconut Grove, Florida.

Tropical Flora, Series I

A series of eighteen photographs of unusual looking tropical plants. Having grown up in the good old Midwest, my husband and I are completely fascinated by tropical flowers and plants. We have loved visiting Florida and Bermuda in particular, where we have seen a very wide range of tropical flora. Most of these photos were taken in Coconut Grove, Florida, which is near Fort Lauderdale, and in Galveston, Texas. The last three photographs are all of the unusual Jamaican Poinsettia plant, taken in Coconut Grove.

Orchids, Series I

I am completely obsessed with photographing orchids. I think they're very sensual and complex, often reminding me of the female body. My husband thinks I come home far too often from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods with yet another new orchid plant. But I'm not the only one who is obsessed. Orchids inspire an unusual devotion in many others as well, and I highly recommend that you read The Orchid Thief: a Story of Beauty and Obsession by Susan Orlean to learn more about the passionate people who belong to the orchid subculture.

The seventeen photographs in this series were taken in several different locations across the country and over a wide span of years.

Butterflies, Series II

Like Butterflies Series I, this series of fourteen photographs was taken at butterfly sanctuaries across the country in 2019, in various locations such as Ames, Iowa; San Diego, California; and in Coconut Grove, Florida.

Tulips, Series I

In the Midwest, there are several replica Dutch villages featuring incredible gardens and fields. I don't think I ever fully appreciated the beauty and variety of tulips until I visited Holland, Michigan and Pella, Iowa for their tulip festivals. This series of eighteen photographs was taken in Iowa and Michigan, not only at the tulip festivals, but also at the Des Moines Botanical Garden.

Passionflowers

I am completely in love with this description of these crazying looking flowers:

Passionflower plants, flowers, and fruits are used for many purposes, such as perfumes, pharmaceuticals, fruit juices, flavored waters, and herbal teas. They are also a particularly nourishing food for caterpillars destined to become Heliconius butterflies, a colorful and widespread genus of brush-footed butterflies commonly known as longwings or heliconians.

Early Spanish and Portuguese missionaries believed each part of the Passiflora represented a different aspect of the passion of Jesus Christ, hence the name "Passion Vine." The stimga is thought to represent the three nailes used to nail Christ to the cross. The center column of the flower is thought to represent the cross itself. The small violet colored filaments that surround the flower's base represent the crown of thorns. The five petals and five sepals are thought to represent the ten disciples present at the crucificion and the three underleaves to represent Christ's resurrection on the third day.

This description is from Butterfly World in Coconut Grove, Florida, where many of these twelve photographs were taken.

Butterflies, Series III

Like Butterflies, Series I and Series III, this series of thirteen photographs was taken at butterfly sanctuaries across the country in 2019, in various locations such as Ames, Iowa; San Diego, California; and Butterfly World in Coconut Grove, Florida.

Hibiscus Flowers, Series I

Hibiscus are another one of my favorite flowers. I first thought of them as tropical flowers, but it turns out that they will grow even in midwestern climates. Much to my surprise and excitement, I was able to grow a beautiful giant hibiscus plant in my garden when I lived in Southwest Michigan.

The nineteen photographs in this series were taken in Iowa, Michigan, and various parts of Florida.

Orchids, Series II

Like the photographs in Orchids, Series I, the seventeen photos in this series were taken in several different locations across the country and over a wide span of years, since I obsessively photograph orchids whenever and wherever I find them. Their beauty and the incredible number of varieties astounds me.

Butterflies, Series IV

Like Butterflies Series I, II and III, these eleven photographs were taken at butterfly sanctuaries across the country, in various locations such as Ames, Iowa; San Diego, California; and Butterfly World in Coconut Grove, Florida.