The architecture of Nature is astounding, fascinating, mesmerizing.  The complexity and elegance of form, the splendid, breathtaking, irreplicable colors, and the powerful expression of life force have captured the imagination of humanity since the first day we noticed.

Down through history, so many great artists have worked so hard to capture the beauty, delicacy, and uniqueness of a flower in art.  Perhaps it is because, in the intimate, intricate pattern of petals found in a flower, we see the artistry of the Creator.  Re-creating the art of life is a form of imitation, indeed, a form of worship, an expression of love.

Perhaps, too, it is because Nature’s beauty is so often fleeting, momentary.  This is our way of capturing both Nature and Time, and keeping it, enabling us to share a moment, otherwise lost, with others, so that they, too, may experience the wonder and the beauty.  Capturing these moments both requires, and expresses, a sense of the fragility of time. 

In these pictures we can find both paradox and analogy– we can grasp a sense of how fleeting our own time in this place is, as well as see how the briefest of moments can be frozen for future generations. 

We can draw parallels to how the physical development of a bud into a bloom mirrors the internal blossoming that occurs within each of us.   As we move from youth to adult, from grief to peace, from novice to expert, from ignorance to knowledge, we grow and blossom – in our faith, through our families, in love. 

There is another analogy worth mentioning.  Many of these photographs are “pictures of opportunity”.  In other words, the artist was ready and took advantage of a unique moment to create art where and when that moment occurred.  In life, we can choose to plug ourselves in, moment by moment, and appreciate each moment of life with which we have been gifted, as well as create something of significance through our meaningful participation.

Captured moments of nature’s transitory beauty, whether on film or in the heart, can inspire us and fill us with deep emotion, reminding us of our own growth and evolution.  These images can stir the soul today and endure for ages to come. 

 - Connie and Jim