Guide And Practice: The Garden Like Youve Never Seen It Before

Thursday, March 6, 2014

The Garden Like Youve Never Seen It Before

The magical photography of Magdalena Wasiczek

The first time I saw a photograph of Magdalena Wasiczek, my heart hurt. It was an image of Heleniums, but it took me a moment to recognize the flowers. The image focused on three sculptural flowers with planet-like orbs in the center. The color of the flowers were muted, yet intense, like the last moments of a sunset. The flowers floated on this turquoise-black background that conveyed an endless depth and all around the flowers. Dust (or pollen? or water? or fairies?) twirled around flowers, animating the image like a constellation in motion. I tore the image out of the magazine and took it with me to work. I tacked it next to my computer screen. When I look at it, I feel energized yet calmed. I imagine that this is what God sees when he looks at Heleniums.

Summer in Rain, on right, the image I referenced above.

Of course, Im not the first to notice Magdalenas photographs. Magdalena recently won the International Garden Photographer of the Year for 2012. The photo above won for The Beauty of Plants category. Living in Trzebinia, Poland, Magdalenas specialty is macro-photography. Her images reveal the world beneath the garden. Her lens seem to capture the energy, the life, that we feel in a garden, but rarely see with our eyes.