Wednesday, May 19, 2010

"I Create" with Machel Spence








Her Website ~ Spence Photography, Her Flickr ~ Machel Spence, Her Blog ~ Machel Spence, Her Shop (Machel writes books and you can find them for sale here) ~ Machel Spence Photography

"I create... moments in nature that most people walk right past, you know...those tiny pieces of life beneath your feet. A lot of people go through their whole lives looking up or straight ahead...I look down. I seek out the darkest thickets, the gnarliest piles of decomposing logs and the place where only flies and slugs seem to go. I search for fungi with the reverence of a child and I sometimes even get lost there.

I love... mushrooms. As most people who know me will agree, I have a bit of a problem with not being able to stay away from them. I spend on average about 2 hours or more in the woods on a daily basis searching for mushrooms and other fungi to photograph. I have found nearly 400 different species in the forest around Washington including Mt. Rainier and the Northern Cascades. Not only have I discovered the importance of fungi to the environment around us as vital decomposers, but they also play an extremely important role in mycorrhizal associations with plants and trees. We could not live on this earth without them.

I dream... of a time when everyone everywhere will have complete respect for the forest and the connection we have with it. We are not disconnected because we live in concrete houses, it's all around us. It's in everything we touch everyday. I hope my daughters children will have plenty of forest left to walk in years from now."


********************

Machel, your wonder for the simple beauty in nature is an example to all of us. And your photos...WOW, so amazing!

21 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness - I LOVE these. Macro shots of a world most people don't slow down enough to see...a photgrapher after my own heart :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. These are FANTASTIC! I too am a passionate nature-lover so this really hit home for me :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. So beautiful and etheral, just great!

    xo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Machel is SO gifted, I love her photography work, and her respect for the most often overlooked things around us in nature!!
    Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love Machel's work! She does open our eyes to the beauty that lies beneath our feet.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have Machel as a contact on Flickr so I never miss an upload. Her shots are magical. :)

    Julia

    ReplyDelete
  7. I adore Machel's work. I look forward to her new creations daily when I open up flickr! Thank you Machel for opening up this dreamy world!

    ReplyDelete
  8. These photos are amazing to say the least - LOVE them!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you Vicki for sharing these sweet little captures of mine with the world...you rock and the whole blog looks fantastic, I am honored! HUGS! m-

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh I love her work, such wonderful detail!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love these photos. I almost used the f word. I love detail and I LOVE nature photos. These are not over romantic like so many flower photos...they are what Ms. Spence says...little glimpses of the otherwise unnoticed. Great.

    ReplyDelete
  12. wowee zowee these are nice photos.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I loved reading those words! Machel is such a wonderful person and her work just amazing. Thanks for sharing Vicki!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Coming from Flickr, and seeing a lot of work - Machel's stands out, in all that crowd. You see the photo - and you know, it is her :) Great guest to inspire, Vicki :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love Machel's photo creations. I've been following her on flickr for quite sometime. She is such an inspiration and amazing photographer.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow, awesome photography!!! Thanks for sharing your take on these other artists. It's great!

    ReplyDelete
  17. New follower! I am only new to photography and have a 1:1.4 macro lens that I am having fun taking pics of my son with :)

    Melanie
    www.jonathanandmelanie.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Machel is an amazing photographer. I love to check her stream often and look at all of the tiny treasures she has managed to find and freeze in a photo. I never knew how interesting mushrooms could be... until I found her stream.

    ReplyDelete
  19. oh machel... you are AMAZING...

    love your images and your words... brilliant inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  20. These are gorgeous. Love her philosophy.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for your comments. Your thoughts, opinions, and ideas are important to me!

~ Vicki