A Love Letter to the Wild World - July 13, 2025

Lately, I’ve taken a few days off from photographing outdoors. Life has been busy — especially with the arrival of a new kitten who’s been filling my days (and arms) with playful chaos and cuddles. But even though I haven’t been out in the field, I’ve been revisiting my unpublished photos from spring, and it’s reminded me why I fell in love with observing nature in the first place.

Female Mallard

There’s something magical that happens when you slow down and really look — not just glance — at the natural world around you. The small details emerge. The perfectly ombré petals of a flower, each shade blending seamlessly into the next like nature’s own watercolor painting. The delicate veins on a leaf, the way a raindrop clings to the edge of a petal.

Merganser

The iridescent shimmer in a duck’s feathers when the sun hits just right. The surprising pop of color on a goose’s legs. The soft, feathery down on a duckling that speaks of both vulnerability and resilience.

Female Wood Duck

When I’m out with my camera, something shifts in me. Photography invites me into deep presence — the kind of presence where the world narrows into the now, where nothing else exists except the light, the subject, and the click of the shutter. My 600mm lens is more than just a tool; it’s a portal that lets me witness and capture intimate moments that otherwise would have gone unseen, moments that I can then share with others.

Gosling

And yet, even as I try to be still, to be invisible — the wildlife always knows. There’s always that slight turn of the head, that sideways glance, that flicker of awareness that tells me they are aware of my presence. It’s a humbling reminder of how alive and alert the natural world is, and how much we are only ever visitors in it.

In the stillness, beauty reveals itself — softly, completely, without rush.

Male Mallard

As I sit with these photos, I find myself reflecting on the impact each moment had on me. How they quieted my mind, calmed my heart, and made me feel connected to something far greater. This is the gift nature offers us when we choose to slow down and notice.

Snow Goose

This blog is, in many ways, my love letter to the big, wild world out there — to its beauty, its healing presence, its endless capacity to astonish and soothe. I’m grateful every day for the chance to witness it, to photograph it, and to share its wonders with you.

Slowing down is how we remember that wonder was always waiting.

Male Mallards Feathers

Thank you, nature — for your colors, your patterns, your resilience, your grace. And thank you, dear reader, for joining me in this shared appreciation of the world’s quiet magic.