From Pretty to Profound: The Journey of Seeing in Nature and Photography

 “Our ability to perceive quality in nature begins, as in art, with the pretty. It expands through successive stages of the beautiful to values as yet uncaptured by language.” - Aldo Leopold

There’s something undeniably universal about the way we first experience nature. It often starts with what’s simply pretty—the kind of view that makes us instinctively reach for our cameras—that gorgeous sunset, the vivid green of spring leaves, or the sparkle of sunlight on a quiet lake. These moments of beauty, easy to appreciate, are often where our journey begins.

When I first came across Leopold’s quote, I was struck by how much it captures the way I’ve evolved, not just as a photographer but also as someone deeply connected to nature.

There’s an art to moving beyond the surface-level “pretty” that draws our eyes. It’s the same as shifting from snapping a quick photo to waiting, watching, and truly seeing what unfolds around us. It’s no longer just about catching the perfect lighting or framing a scene. The beauty comes through the details—the textures, the quiet moments that might go unnoticed. That slow learning process to see the world this way mirrors our deeper appreciation of nature.

When I’m out with my camera, the landscapes that don’t scream for attention often end up meaning the most. A lone tree in the distance, standing against the backdrop of shifting clouds. A rock covered in lichen that has been there for centuries, carrying stories I can’t tell but somehow feel. These are the moments that photography helps me capture, but even more importantly, they’re the moments that change how I experience the world.

Leopold’s idea of “values as yet uncaptured by language” resonates deeply with me. How often do we find ourselves standing in awe of something, struggling to put that feeling into words? I think it’s because nature—like art—can reach something beyond language, beyond description. There’s an unspoken connection we feel with certain landscapes or encounters that photography, at its best, can help convey.

Yet, not everything can be captured. And maybe that’s the point. As I continue to grow in photography, I find myself increasingly drawn to those spaces between—the moments where I feel something profound but don’t quite know how to explain it. It’s in these moments that I think nature is teaching us the most. Like the best art, it asks us to look deeper, to let go of needing to define everything and to simply be in its presence.

Photography allows me to share these moments, but it’s the connection beyond the lens—the quiet understanding, the recognition of beauty in its most raw and wild forms—that keeps me going back. From the pretty to the beautiful, to something unspoken but undeniably felt.

And in the end, maybe that’s the truest art form of all.