Looking

I spend some time every day walking in the Arboretum. I’m getting to know my surroundings. And, no surprise, the more attentive I am in the looking, the more I notice. I’ve walked by the same shrub or tree many times and each time I pass, I may see something new. 

Walking the same path doesn’t necessarily mean seeing the same things each time. Back in the 70s, I lived for some years in the woods. I have a familiarity with trees that comes back to me occasionally, especially in the Arboretum. 

This came up for me when I looked at this shot of a tree. Honestly I don’t remember what first attracted me to it. Now, looking at the image, I’m struck by the texture of the bark, the bright green lichen growing so exuberantly, and the almost-healed burl. When I lived in the woods I was so wrapped up with day-to-day survival that I hardly noticed these details of the life of the natural world. 

One of the joys of photography is that it allows me, invites me, to look again at something that I thought interesting enough to capture. It allows me to go back and notice all that was there but I didn’t notice the first time. So I’m enjoying several looks!