Beauty in The Details

I shoot a lot of florals. I love them. They’re beautiful and convey such an intimate view of life. However, for me they’re about more than just a pretty picture.

Florals and botanicals give me a unique window to different view of the world. They give an opportunity to focus in on detail I would never otherwise pay attention to rushing around in everyday life.

To me, there is beauty in detail. There is elegance and truth in isolating one particular element of a bigger scene. I feel that by focusing on one detail, it’s not just that single detail which becomes beautiful—it’s the entire setting that it’s in. By focusing on that detail, it’s almost as though the surrounding scene begins pushing it forward, offering it to our attention.

This is why photography is about more than just creating an image. To me, it’s a way to appreciate the world we live in. It’s a way to expand awareness of our environment and connect with things in a way we never otherwise would.

How many times do we drive down the same road and see the same things? How boring is that? So mundane. In truth, there are an infinity of unique experiences around us at all times—even on that same street we drive down in our daily commute. It’s simply a matter of the view we take.

To me, there is a gorgeousness to selecting out one thing that we never paid attention to before and then highlighting it in a way that makes it stunningly beautiful—highlighting it in a way we never thought of before.

This is my mission with photography.

I love the concept of taking a mundane part of everyday life and making it beautiful...because it already was beautiful. We just never quite noticed it before. We never quite paid attention.

In the hectic hustle of life, it’s so easy to run to the next appointment, hurry to the next meeting, without truly observing the intensely beautiful world around us. And this is what photography is for me: an opportunity to see what’s truly there. It’s a chance to live in the moment. A chance to connect.

Annie Leibovitz, the famous celebrity photographer, once said that she doesn’t even pick up a camera until she is able to get to know the person she’s about to shoot. I think that’s amazing. She basically sits down and really gets to know them, gets to understand their unique identity, as her first step. And her work reflects this—her images truly do reflect the personality of her subjects.

This resonates with me. I want to get to know my subjects. I want to connect with them.

Every photograph tells the story of its subject. Every image evokes its emotion. I want to capture the beauty in the details. I want to bring it to life through art.