Two-Dimensional

My relationship with nature has always shown through my photography. As a visual arts major, I’ve always used the camera as a way to hold onto a glimpse of the beauty in the world around me or display it in an unusual, thought provoking way. In fact, I would say my best work often involves nature. So many different factors must be just right in order to get that perfect shot, especially when working outdoors. Dillard discusses the importance of being at the right place at the right time. “The answer must be, I think, that beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is to try to be there” (Dillard, 10). I completely agree. Timing really is everything and we can only hope we will be around for these types of unusual events Dillard discusses. Dillard, however, is much closer to nature than I feel I will ever be. “I’m drawn to this spot. I come to it as to an oracle; I return to it as a man years later will seek out the battlefield where he lost a leg or an arm” (Dillard, 7). Unlike Dillard, I do not have this type of connection with nature. I feel as if I do not appreciate nature to the extent she does. I am fine with observing the beauty in nature through some barrier, whether it’s a window or a lens. When photographing outdoors the results are always the emphasis, not the act of being outdoors itself. While Dillard enjoys the untouched beauty of just being surrounded by nature - the feel, sight, and smell of everything around her – I feel I must condense it, making it only visual… and better yet, capable of being brought indoors.

Mary Bozzelli