Author: Kendall Akerman

My inspiration for most of my pieces are based off this idea that I find endearing, which is the idea of capturing the moment in nature. When I say this I mean idea that something is so grounded but fleeting at the same time. I tend to take most of my pictures with the subject matter being nature. This is because nature is something that is around us all the time but always changing. I think in our generation people are so focused on getting everything instantly and quickly that they forget to “ Stop and smell the roses.”  They forget to enjoy the simple things like how a sunset looks after a long day or how rain rests on the leaves. I want to be able to capture these short-lived experiences and have them frozen in time to enjoy.

I decided to choose the image I took of a vibrant orange butterfly as it was resting in the delicate purple flowers. I also selected this one because I enjoy the interplay of the contrasting colors within the image. The orange, purple and green seem to bounce and play off each other. (This image I took when I was on vacation and I was waking a walk outside enjoying the sun). I also chose this image because it is rare to capture a butterfly still and something that most people miss. Butterflies embody fully the idea that something is so grounded but fleeting at the same time. The idea that if you blink you will miss this moment, if you don’t take the time to stop you won’t enjoy some of life’s most simple beauties.

The photographers who’s work I am drawn to and someone I use as inspiration is John Shaw. He been photographing since the 1970’s and has been published in National Geographic.  The nature and animal images the Shaw takes are breath taking to me, they have an emotional reaction within them. Much like what I am trying to capture in my work he finds those fleeting moments and snaps them. What I wanted to take from his work is the rich colors and crispness of his images.I want to be able to capture the warmth or coolness of the colors like John Shaw does. He has an eye for color that I want to strive for. There is something aspiring about his images, especially the image I chose. The image is titled Great Basin bristlecone Pine and it was taken in the Inyo National Forest in California.

When looking more through his galleries on his webpage you start to see a trend within his photographs. The idea that “you have to be the poet, the artist and deal with the emotional, the impressionistic…We’ve all seen technically superb photos with no soul and many intense, personal photos that just don’t communicate because there’s no craftsmanship.” [i] There is an emotional response to his images along with a superb attention to craftsmen ship. As a photographer I want to work towards this kind of cohesiveness, to have an image speak a thousand words but also have the craftsmanship of being an artist.