on collecting

here are the things i routinely pick up on my daily walks: pine cones, feathers, bones, seeds and seed pods, and if i am on a beach, shells and drift wood, sea glass and beach rocks. obviously, i pick up a whole lot more than that. but those are this things i pick up with the intention of adding to my collections. all the rest get photographed, and then returned to the woods. recently, i was asked to do a series of photos of pine cones for a restaurant commission. i was ready for it.

assorted pine cone collection (minnesota, california, southern france)