Get Inspired by Nature!

Together, we have the power to “Restore Our Earth,” the theme of this year’s Earth Day. This week, I will be sharing stories to inspire you to get involved. Today, I introduce you to the work of photographer, Rona Neri, who’s penned her own essay, on why she’s passionate about capturing the beauty of nature and preserving it for future generations.

I discovered what people meant by “flow” when I started to explore the natural world with my camera. I walk and just listen to the songs of the birds, the rustle of leaves looking for wildlife. I focus on what’s in front of me on each step, scanning from the ground to the crown of the trees, looking for those ephemeral moments of beauty to capture with my lens.

Nature is constantly changing, light is always moving, always a different color. From moment to moment things do not look the same and you don’t often get a second chance to capture what you find.

If I’m very lucky, that indigo bunting is going to give me maybe ten seconds in perfect light on a sunflower so I have to be patient, focused and ready for the opportunity.

I’ve also learned that in order to get those opportunities, I must be slow, silent and calm. Animals sense your energy and are constantly watching for threats, so if I want the chance to photograph a warbler or a fox, I must be able to essentially make myself invisible, draw my energy inward, slow my heartbeat. I never want to disturb my animal subjects if I can help it, so ethically it’s important for me to stay calm and also respectful of their space. I don’t want to get too close and potentially disturb animals to the point that they abandon their young or important feeding territory.

My photo hikes are a kind of active meditation and mindfulness where each minute I’m noticing the leaves, the wind, the light, the sounds and gently pushing away distraction, ego and anxiety. But that makes it sound like my work is equivalent to a relaxing picnic on a sunny day at the county park. The truth is that it’s physically taxing as well, and frequently uncomfortable. I shoot either early morning, getting up well before dawn, or late in the afternoon near sunset which in the summer means I sometimes don’t get home until after 10 pm. I’m always carrying two cameras – one on a monopod with a huge telephoto lens that’s 15” long and weighs nearly ten pounds. I have extra batteries, memory cards, my phone and cleaning cloths in my pockets. I usually have water and snacks in my car but not on me because I want to travel as light as possible. The winter can be painfully cold even with all my layers of heavy duty outer wear, and summer is hot and buggy. I’m often trudging through snow, mud, or water on rough uneven trails. Several hours of that type of work can take a toll, so I have to take care of my body in order to continue to do what I love. Some days really challenge my endurance and force me to take some extra rest afterwards. In that way, I’m both spiritually healed and physically strengthened by my hours in nature.

I push myself to do, see and capture more because I believe that sharing the beauty of nature and the lives and expressions of the animals with whom we share this world helps foster stewardship and appreciation of our environment. I seek out creative perspectives and I look for the sublime in the everyday things we may overlook, like the play of afternoon light in grass, so that we remember to notice the things we take for granted.

If we don’t do more to preserve and care for wild places and even the nature in our own backyards, we will lose them and every one of us will suffer as a consequence. What I bring home in my images are more than pretty pictures to me. They are a reminder that nature is an incredible and irreplaceable gift we cannot afford to lose. -Rona Neri