Australia may seem vast and deserted to some, but in far north Queensland, in the tablelands and wet tropics, there is an abundance of life. Within these vast and intricate landscapes lie diverse, mysterious habitats that are unknown to many. It is these rare details that I wanted to share with others. I have always enjoyed photographing nature, and I feel a connection and a sense of tranquility when I am surrounded by it. Nature is alive and always changing, and I often think we as humans forget to stop and appreciate the complex details and patterns it presents.
I spent a semester studying abroad in Cairns, Australia, where I absolutely fell in love with the landscape. Cairns has the beach, the rainforest, the mountains and a small city – enough diversity to satisfy its visitors' desires. I have always been passionate about marine life, but coming from the United States, the rainforest offered me a new subject to photograph and explore, new things to learn.
This collection of images captures the abstract essence of nature, the very minute details that build incredible landscapes. I looked at rocks, sand, petals, lichen and bark, and I tried to extract these everyday patterns to allow the viewer to see them as something more. For instance, the lichen on the bark of a tree may appear just as that, or it could be seen as a whole new world that sustains tiny creatures, an entire miniature ecosystem. Imagine you are an insect crawling across this rough surface and how your perspective might change. Humans are so destructive, and we tend to alter and destroy the world's natural wonders without thinking what else, or who else, we may be affecting.
