Seeing More Deeply

This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts

Morning fog slowly burns off over the marsh on Amelia Island in early spring. ©Lee Anne White I just wrapped up teaching Explorations in Landscape and Place: Photographing Close to Home for Santa Fe Workshops. One of the subjects that came up was photographing in the morning—in particular, how difficult it is to get up that early. I heard groans in our Zoom classroom. Admittedly, I don’t get up early nearly as often as I used to.

Back in the late 1990s, when I worked at Fine Gardening magazine, the staff and a handful of dependable and talented freelance photographers shot most of the features for the magazine. From time to time—usually for plant profiles—we would send out stock photo requests and get hundreds of image submissions. Except for when those requests were for garden trees. Then the pickings were slim and I wondered why.

Back in the late 1990s, when I worked at Fine Gardening magazine, the staff and a handful of dependable and talented freelance photographers shot most of the features for the magazine. From time to time—usually for plant profiles—we would send out stock photo requests and get hundreds of image submissions. Except for when those requests were for garden trees. Then the pickings were slim and I wondered why.

It was my Grandfather Romberg who, so many years ago, introduced me to the notion that the more you learn, the more you realize you will never know. We were talking about plants at the time. He had probably just divided some iris or daylilies from his garden to share with me. I was young and just learning the basics of gardening—things like soil preparation, planting, watering and mulching perennials.

In 2013, I published a photo book, The Mutable Sea. While the book sold out years ago, I continue to make seascape photographs. This is one from last week. It was my Grandfather Romberg who, so many years ago, introduced me to the notion that the more you learn, the more you realize you will never know. We were talking about plants at the time. He had probably just divided some iris or daylilies from his garden to share with me.

I went for a walk on the beach yesterday morning. There was a wind advisory, high surf advisory and rip current statement, and I thought the rough waters might wash something interesting ashore. As it turns out, there was surprisingly little on the beach. It was broad and smooth. There wasn’t even a line of wrack at the high-tide mark.

I went for a walk on the beach yesterday morning. There was a wind advisory, high surf advisory and rip current statement, and I thought the rough waters might wash something interesting ashore. As it turns out, there was surprisingly little on the beach. It was broad and smooth. There wasn’t even a line of wrack at the high-tide mark.

When we think of landscape photography, the first thing that comes to mind is often grand views and dramatic scenery. Not only are such places beautiful to photograph, but because they are not where most of us live or what we see each day, they awaken our senses in a special way. Although I love seeing and photographing new places, the work that has become most meaningful to me is the work I make closer to home or in the places I visit on a regular basis.