As is so often true, you just can’t make this stuff up. A cluster of windswept trees clinging to rock, the moody, striated colours of a sunset, the whorls and strips in tree bark, a single flower. And whether the frame is wide enough to take in surprising shapes of stacked mounds of cloud far on the horizon, or so narrow that we see the very tiny details of petals, all around us nature is providing the most delightful arrangements and compositions. Julie Law has a keen eye for capturing this with her camera and bringing it to our attention.
In her words, “What gives me the most thrill is to notice a glimpse of beauty that most people would not notice.”
Self-taught, Julie learns from doing and experimenting. She has been taking photos since she was a child, but the arrival of digital photography was the game changer, giving her the ability to really take chances and grow as an artist;
“No longer being limited by what I could afford to have developed and printed was hugely liberating.”
Following her instincts and whims rather than rules, Julie loves to roam with her camera. Like all of us, she frequently encounters spectacular sunsets, but while she is as susceptible to a showy display as anyone, Julie likes to remind us, and herself, that beauty and harmony are everywhere.
“Sunsets are very beautiful and I love to photograph sunsets. But what is really exciting for me is to see beauty that is much less obvious, beauty that is hidden within the ordinary, everyday, or even the mundane.”
Long walks become free and meditative sojourns with her camera. Julie seldom sets out with a subject in mind but photographs whatever is at hand. The viewer senses a quiet clarity, however. Some of her photos give the impression that she is sensing a resonance in a particular branch, a certain cactus, a pole, a statue, a single flower . . . as if the subject itself is calling out for notice. In the end, it’s art. And like all lasting artistic creations there are as many interpretations as there are viewers, as Julie emphasizes:
“What’s so wonderful about photography is that the photos speak for themselves. And one photo will become as many as the number of people who view it. Every single interpretation will be unique to the individual.”
Visit julielaw.ca to view more of Julie’s photography.