Horizons Fall Photography Speaker
Beth Buelow
If you’re not amazed, you’re not paying attention.
Every day, there are moments and perspectives that we miss when we move too fast, work too hard. I want my images to serve as speed bumps that invite us to slow down, get out of our head, and connect with our imagination.
Feeling amazement isn’t exclusively the domain of bright shiny objects, epic vistas, or grand gestures; it can be born from more subtle, often overlooked expressions of symmetry, color, light, patterns, texture. My professional training as a musician informs my photography by way of taking the literal (notes on a page, a flower, staircase, or old barn) and honoring the intent while offering new interpretations. Since life and people are full of contradictions, I like to experiment with techniques that reveal complex layers in a creative way: intentional camera movement, multiple exposures, macros, and specialty lenses.
Since my intention is to reflect the amazing world around us, my photography doesn’t fit neatly into one particular genre or subject. I embrace the words of Walt Whitman:
Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)
No matter the subject, my work often conveys a sense of calm, order, mystery, experimentation, contrarianism, and/or balance. Those ideas might seem to be in tension with one another, but they represent different aspects of my personality and creativity. They all ask to be expressed, and letting them have voice and sharing the amazement with others fills me with joy and purpose... I hope my vision of the world speaks to you, expands your heart, and enriches your life
Session Information
Exploring Nature Through a Non-Literal Lens
When is a tree more than a tree? A river more than a river? When we stop seeing them as “tree” or “river” and meet them again for the first time. Nature is constantly evolving and showing us new sides of itself. How can we open ourselves to its—and our—fullest expression? We’ll (re)discover ways to challenge our mindset and our skills in the spirit of moving through cliché captures and toward more personally meaningful photography.