Nature creates the most extraordinary yet simple patterns, some lasting for just brief periods of time, rarely seen before being altered and reworked by new forces. My photography preserves some of these natural designs, recording the intimacy of the discovery past the composition's sometimes brief existence. These photographs commemorate the beauty in simple observances that might otherwise be passed by unnoticed.

Since very young photography has been of interest to me, even at 8 or 10 years old while taking "family" photos a few "natural abstracts" would appear amidst the typical vacation shots. In the 60's I worked in black and white with a 2 1/4 format camera, developing negatives and prints in my own dark room. Later in the 70's I started exploring color photography but for the most part my prints have remained in the square format.

--Lyn Smith