Nature and Photography have always been at the center of my life.

As a young boy I happily explored the woods and fields of the land surrounding my home in western Connecticut. I came to know and love the evergreens as well as the deciduous trees of the dominant oak-hickory forest. My father loved trees and planted numerous unusual specimens around the house.

Dad loved photography too. When the house was built he had a darkroom installed in the basement. Although his work as a composer kept him too busy to ever use the darkroom, he was always keen to take photographs of our family trips. His enthusiasm for photography and love of trees affected me. I didn't know anyone else who took photographs and so can only say that my father was my primary inspiration.

One day I asked my father if I could borrow his camera to take some photographs. I didn't realize that he had a really good 35 mm camera, a Leica M2 range finder. He loaned the camera to me but without film and gave me this instruction: "Practice framing your subject and when you think you are ready, I will give you a roll of film to shoot." There was more to his advice but that's what I remember.

I ran across the road and through the woods to the waterfall. I framed the falling water, a spider's web and wildflowers at the base of a chestnut tree. I lay on my back and looked through the viewfinder at the tree branches above. I ran back and excitedly told my father that I was ready. The next day he gave me the roll of film. I was 13 years old. And I was so happy.

Photography has allowed me to show people what I see, what I perceive in nature. Taking photographs for me is less about the technical aspects of the camera and the film. Although I have deep respect for those who are well versed in manipulating the image through techniques of exposure, development or digital editing to achieve their artistic statement, my approach is simpler. It is to focus the mind to appreciate the amazing patterns in nature and, of course, the winter light.

Nature is always in my thoughts even when it isn't in my life. The act of framing a photograph for me is a curious mixture of reckless abandon and disciplined selection, of seeking inspiration, opening the mind's eye, trying to make sense of what I experience through framing the subject - that which touches me - and hopefully sharing with you what I have seen and felt.

Words and music can and do convey images, feelings, and experiences quite clearly. The reader and listener can share the author's and composer's feelings or thoughts without great difficulty. Photographs on the other hand can be more challenging. While simply written words can easily reveal simple concepts, photographs do not often reveal the photographer's intended meaning.

I won't try to tell you how and why one of my photographs is meaningful to me. If a picture tells a thousand words, then why not write your own story, create your own meaning of an image.

- Rolf Anderson