French writer Jules Renard once said: “On Earth, there is no heaven, but there are pieces of it.” More than a century later, the sentiment holds as glimpses of the natural world whisk us to a more ethereal realm. For nearly two decades, United Arts Collier (formerly United Arts Council of Collier County) has honored the Earth’s artistic tendencies through juried photography exhibit Natural Selections. This year, the show is on view through April 27, 2023 at Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center.
Naples juror Christine Cook weighs technical excellence, composition, cohesiveness and overall impact to select the nearly two dozen works in the exhibit. Christine’s ideal photo stokes an emotional connection. “I really like to look for the maker’s personality,” she says. “They speak about Florida—the unique landscapes of Florida—the swamps, the ponds, the pine trees, the clouds.”
Here, we catch up with photographers from the show to learn the story behind their photos. “Earth is the art, right?” says Maureen MacNeal, whose kaleidoscopic image Pond Life is on view. “The world is teeming with life. Wherever you go, even if it seems ordinary, you can find something extraordinary.”
Early Bloom by William Boling (Pictured Above)
A retired Air Force colonel and lifelong photographer, William Boling is an enthusiastic world traveler who encourages viewers to stop and appreciate nature’s simplest treasures. Though William didn’t venture far for this stunning shot of a giant water lily at Naples Botanical Garden. “I like to be one of the first members of the Garden in the morning when the light is beautiful,” he says. William, who learned to shoot as a child on an old-school Polaroid Land Camera, used a Nikon mirrorless and a macro lens to get a close view of the budding bloom in all its delicate glory.
Little Blue Island by Doug Poe
One quiet morning in the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Doug Poe set up his tripod for the perfect shot. Using a telephoto lens, the photographer zoomed in on an immature great blue heron resting atop a small mangrove island. The tangled branches, juxtaposed with the bird’s regal stance, reflect in the water below with mirror-like clarity. The water and sky blend seamlessly, so the “little blue” and tiny island appear to be weightless, as if floating in space.
Twig Season by Doug Poe
“‘Twig season’ is my term for wintertime shooting when most leaves are gone … I like the native cypress trees when they get that way. It shows the form of the tree,” Doug notes. One morning, Doug and a friend were driving along Jane’s Scenic Drive—a gravel road near Copeland in southern Collier County—when he spied a solitary, bare-branched cypress tree mysteriously shrouded in fog. Thin clouds rolled in above like curling waves. Early morning snaps like this motivate the photographer: “It’s about fulfilling my desire to be in nature. It renews me.”
Bird with Attitude by John Dodge
John Dodge used a zoom telephoto lens to capture this detailed photograph of a black-crowned night heron at Shark Valley in Everglades National Park. There were birds everywhere, but this one stood out with its challenging expression and ruffled feathers, the retired electrical engineer says. “Ansel Adams said, ‘There are always two people in every picture—the photographer and the viewer.’ I always look for a story in the picture,” John says. Here, the subject becomes the viewer as John captures the moment the skeptical creature caught the photographer watching him—the lens snapping just in time for the bird’s startled reaction.
