Nature upside the head

There’s pictures of nature, there’s nature photography and then there’s the work of Michael Durham. Someday, if I keep practicing really hard and the angels finally set up shop behind my eyes instead of only stopping in for a visit every year or two, I’ll grow up to take pictures like this guy.

I’ve never been into all this tramping through the wilderness stuff–very few campsites have room service or high-speed Internet connections–but his stunning images make me want to get out there and see.

Obviously, he’s got lots of mighty fine equipment, as this photo of a wasp in flight will attest, but he’s also got great eyes and a bit of heart, as in this image of a newborn preying mantis. In one stroke, he gives us entomology, scale, wonder and humanity.

He’s also done a kind of commingling of a free Blogger site with his own website, which is interesting. It might be a nice model for other artists who want maximum flexibility without paying lots of money (or becoming a Webhead like me). BTW, his field notes read like an artist exploration.

Would love to meet this guy sometime.  He’s just bumped somebody off the living side of my 6n6 list for photography (favorite six living, favorite six dead). Obviously I don’t have permission to post his images on my site, so I’ll have to ask you to go take a look.

Share on Facebook