Outdoorsman: Poetry and Photography in Nature

Nature is the supreme art. It is a masterpiece written in verdant leaves, drawn on crisp earth, and sung by all life breathing in the wild—a magnum opus cycling through spring, summer, autumn, winter, and back to spring again. But though such splendor surrounds us, it is made mute by the mundane noise of our urban life. We aren’t meant to be confined in buildings. We are nature’s children; we were made to bask in its beauty. At least once in our lives, we need to commune with nature in its true form—not the garden-variety public park, but the mountains and forests and prairies and rivers filled with all sorts of flora and fauna. We need to experience what it’s like being an outdoorsman.

 

As an avid outdoorsman, I can say that nothing compares to the visceral pleasure of exploring the environment. I love discovering new things in the wilderness, especially around Minnesota, my home state. The outdoors fuels my passion for photography. I always bring my camera with me when I go on a hike, so that when I reach stunning sceneries and meet beautiful creatures, I can take a picture of them in their own element.

 

My photos are the basis for most of my poems. I feel great joy in being able to form poetry out of the rawness of nature. It’s one reward of being an outdoorsman. Art breeds creativity, and nature is an infinite source of inspiration. Nature, after all, is the supreme art.

 

A deer was in the tall grass
As I walked along the shore
‘Cross the pond, it made a pass
Couldn’t ask for any more

I had my trusty Kodak
So I caught it on my lens
Then it turned its timid back
And faded into the fens

But it had nothing to fear!
That spooked little white-tailed deer

“Deer in the Grass”
Picture Poems Volume 1