Book 2

Plant Life as Form and Color - The Boundary Between Realism and Abstract 

A book of photographs dedicated to Tom Martin

Looking at any object under a microscope can introduce a new, unfamiliar world.  Often the magnified object is not recognizable to most observers.  However, even when an object is no longer identifiable because the region observed is very small, its inherent beauty is not necessarily lost.  In fact, as old associations with the recognizable object no longer come into play, it is possible see many new things in something that we otherwise might take for granted.   Since realism depends on our ability to identify things, looking at a magnified small portion of an object shifts us from the realistic world to the abstract.  It is for this reason that I have used the subtitle “The boundary between realism and abstract” to describe my photographs.  It is also for this reason that I do not have an index as part of this book.  I did use an index page in my last book (Finding the Inner Flower published by Lulu – www.lulu.com).  For the images included here, I do not want to introduce the distraction of trying to identify each plant.  Please enjoy the photos for their form and color!

All images in this book were obtained with a 105 mm Sigma EX Macro lens coupled with a 35mm sensor so that no correction factor is applied to modify this focal length.  In most cases extensions tubes were inserted between the camera and lens.  These extension tubes can be selected to add as much as 10 cm between the lens and camera.  The typical print size for my photographs is 15x11 inches.  This combination results in magnification factors that are on the order of 15 for my prints. 

Many of these photographs were taken on Monhegan Island in Maine.  Monhegan is a special place with an energy that has inspired artists for many years.  That energy continues to have its effect, and I hope that it is present in my work.  The other images were captured in the Bucks County area of eastern Pennsylvania, where I live with my wife Norma.

This book, like my previous one, is dedicated to Tom Martin.  He was my friend, mentor and inspiration.  We work together on Monhegan and in New York City, where he lived with his wife Josephine.