90 Minutes with Nature
A Photo Essay
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I can’t remember a time when I didn't considered myself a nature lover, but at this point in my life, the meaning of that label doesn’t ring as clear as I thought it once did.
Too often there’s not a sustained effort on my part to actually get out and enjoy the outdoors. Life is hectic for most people of our era — hours, weeks, years slip by in what seems an instant. I’m as guilty as anyone, and perhaps that’s why a surprise nature experience seems like such a soulful event.
What started out as a simple photography job — taking headshots of the EJ Magazine staff — turned into an unexpected jaunt into nature. Wanting a natural backdrop, I decided to host the photo shoot at a little wetland area. I had a couple hours set aside for folks to wander over for their turn next to the pond. Then I waited.
I sat and looked around for a while, listening to insects jostling with each other, hearing and occasionally seeing small rodents scurrying through the grasses. Several birds and I think a muskrat or woodchuck were feeding and preparing for winter. Fall colors weren’t peaking yet in this part of the Midwest, but the grasses and scrub trees were beginning to signal the coming cold.
This area isn’t a nature preserve, and it’s not really a city. But what became remarkably clear in short fashion was how tightly these environmental extremes were braided together in a very confined space. Many philosophers, many naturalists, many scientists, many thoughtful people have long suggested the concept of slowing down, sitting down perhaps, and taking the time to look around you and see what else is carrying on. Living, playing, dying. Observing the natural world around you is remarkably calming. At one time I did this more frequently, and it’s time to get serious about it again.
This isn’t news for many people, that I realize. But it’s likely a foreign pastime to far too many.
The photographs here are from roughly 90 minutes with nature and a camera. Cars drove by, trains roared past, jetliners flew overhead, but nature kept doing its thing. I did my best to ignore the city sounds. Actually, it was easy. We can talk about pollution some other time.
To see more of Kurt's photos, go here.
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Kurt Stepnitz is the university photographer for the office of university relations at MSU. He is also a student in MSU's environmental journalism program. Reach Kurt at stepnit1@msu.edu.
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