JOHN GEFFERT III '24

How do plants and nature act as organic composers of the world, and how can I capture the natural beauty abstracted by these life forms through photography? How can I use photography to illustrate my passion for nature and science and learn more about the subjects I’m drawn to? Where is my compositional hand most effective in the photography of nature? How can my photography embrace the beauty of the life cycle through natural subject matter?

My inquiry questions led to an experimental collage I composed which guided my focus to composition and how I communicate through my work. I then experimented with man-made subjects such as the lightbulbs in my yard and the changing leaves around them. Next, I focused solely on nature photography which allowed me to approach composition in a more organic manner, experimenting with macro to capture points of emphasis, revising work by cropping, enhancing lighting, and focusing on finer details in my pictures. I also focused on the evolving nature of my subjects mirroring the human life cycle.