Books by author: Eliot Porter

Bill B. loaned me this as potential inspiration for my photography. It's a collection of nature photographs made by Eliot Porter accompanied by an essay and a handful of captions by James Gleick (author of Chaos). About half of the photographs are truly stunning — they vividly capture the gorgeous complexity of waves, lava, and plant life. Some of the others look a bit ordinary to my eye, but your mileage may vary. There's nothing new in Gleick's essay, but the juxtaposition of text and image sometimes leads to renewed insight.

I'm inspired to trek out into the woods and to the shore to look for chaotic patterns. I very much like the abstract beauty of this kind of photography when it's done well. I have no delusions of making art of this quality, but it's fun to try (and it's a helluva lot cheaper to hang your own 8x10 prints than to buy them from a pro).