Holding Hands – A Self-Portrait

Holding Hands with Nature

Holding Hands with Nature

On the most basic of levels, this is a photograph of overlapping leaves that I took using a Lensbaby Composer. But when I saw the photograph, it seemed to be much more than a few leaves, it seemed to be another one of those self-portraits I occasionally take that aren’t an actual self-portrait, but a metaphorical portrait of self.

I look at this and see a photograph of holding hands. And I make the connection. I hold hands with nature when I am out in nature, sometimes taking photographs, sometimes hiking or camping, in lots of ways, in close relationship with the natural world.

Orchids in Pink and White

Phae

Phalaenopsis Orchid – the Moth Orchid

This Wisconsin winter hasn’t been all that bad. Really. Even though we’ve had a fair amount of snow and a week or so of frigid weather, we are halfway through January and the days are growing noticeably longer. Today the temps climbed into the 30s. Even so, I was in the mood for a place warmer than 30˚, so I visited the warmest, greenest place I easily drive to  – the Bolz Conservatory in Madison’s Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

Ahhh! Tropical mist, lots of green plants, birds chirping in the background, a tiny waterfall trickling down a stone outcropping, orange and white koi swimming in the meandering water and . . . dozens of orchids. Nearly paradise!

I sat quietly on an out-of-the-way bench for the first half hour and let the misty atmosphere seep into my body, mind, and soul. Then I got out my camera gear and took photos for an hour – the first photos I’ve taken in a week.

I shoot almost every day, so a week away from the camera is unusual for me. All that greenery and warmth got me going again. A good thing.