“Branching Out,” Fall 2023

At the start of this project, I had no idea what I wanted to photograph. While I was inherently drawn to nature, the words of Wendell Berry’s “The Unforeseen Wilderness” made me question my motives – was I just capturing the familiar, picturesque landscapes I’ve always known? With that in mind, I tried my best to stray as far as I could from the outdoors, going as far as stuffing myself into a laundry machine in pursuit of the unconventional. However, I was not satisfied with the resulting images, feeling like they lacked the authenticity that I cherished while capturing nature. It was through this process that I had a profound realization: perhaps, despite my reservations, nature was the subject that I was truly “obsessed” with. So, armed with a large format view camera and a determination to shed the label of basic landscapes, I embarked on a journey to reimagine nature photography. Especially with the medium of black and white film, I navigated away from the stereotypical beauty of flowers and sunsets, venturing into the imperfect and often-overlooked details. Through this project, I was forced to look at the world through a new lens, noticing for the first time the soft dispersion of light through leaves, the shapes created by interweaving branches, unique lumps and bumps on bark, and even entire palm trees that I never realized were on campus. My body of work is an invitation to explore the difference between looking and seeing. The absence of color serves not as a limitation but as a gateway to a deeper, more nuanced appreciation of the natural world, highlighting the intricate and beautiful details hidden in plain sight.