shining birch photography by lara birk
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my first word was "out." born to a family for whom nature is sacred, i went on a lot of hikes perched on mom or dad's shoulders when i was little and grew up steeped in the beauty of the natural world. one day on a hike up mt. monadnock with my parents, i allegedly pointed to the path ahead and insisted i be taken out from the safety of my father's pack. "out!" i said simply. and out i went. since that day, i have spent many hours enjoying the meadows, mountains, woods, valleys, lakes, and rivers of new england.
then, in 1991, when a devastating muscular syndrome became acute and turned my life inside out, i had to re-learn how to walk. moreover, somewhere in the midst of the thirteen surgeries and debilitating chronic pain that followed that harrowing time, i also had to re-learn how to see. pain may often shrink the physical parameters of my existence—the photographs you see here were shot almost exclusively from my backyard, most within 1/8 of a mile from my door- yet in pain, i have found a teacher. illness, having narrowed the parentheses between which i must live my life, has taught me to how to look more closely and see more deeply the world just outside my door. in this light, i am grateful for the experience that brings into focus even the smallest gestures of the earth and the subtlest variations in her mood.
the exquisite beauty of the natural world has been the subject of all my photography since i first picked up a camera at age 12. however, “out,”, since becoming ill, has taken on new meaning for me. after so many years of seeking to capture the promise of that distant horizon, i have discovered that “out” is defined less by geography than by perspective. each moment unfolds before us and lays bare the intimate details of her existence with exquisite candor, outlining the unique footprint of her ephemeral glory for us whether we notice the grace of her untiring performance or not. as a photographer, i aim to bear witness to this unfolding and in turn feel its stillness and quietude. i hope others will find in my images some of the deep and calming solace i experience in the profoundly humbling act of seeing itself.
thank you for visiting my site. please contact me at lara@shiningbirch.com with any questions or thoughts. i'd love to hear from you, whether through comments on the site or directly by email. i am relatively new to this and appreciate your feedback immensely.
- lara
PHOTO SHOWS:
**friday march 7th 3-5:30: tufts u., barnum hall, medford, ma
(women's day arts festival, sponsor: tufts feminist alliance)
**saturday march 8th 10-4: ayer town hall, ayer, ma
(artsmart, sponsor: ayer cultural council)
**may 1-28: tufts' slater concourse gallery, aidekman, medford, ma
(academics and artists, curator: roxanne samer, tufts u.)
**may 28-june 1: amherst college frost library, amherst, ma
**april-december: institute of quantitative social science
harvard u., cambridge, ma (1737 cambridge st. 3rd flr).
then, in 1991, when a devastating muscular syndrome became acute and turned my life inside out, i had to re-learn how to walk. moreover, somewhere in the midst of the thirteen surgeries and debilitating chronic pain that followed that harrowing time, i also had to re-learn how to see. pain may often shrink the physical parameters of my existence—the photographs you see here were shot almost exclusively from my backyard, most within 1/8 of a mile from my door- yet in pain, i have found a teacher. illness, having narrowed the parentheses between which i must live my life, has taught me to how to look more closely and see more deeply the world just outside my door. in this light, i am grateful for the experience that brings into focus even the smallest gestures of the earth and the subtlest variations in her mood.
the exquisite beauty of the natural world has been the subject of all my photography since i first picked up a camera at age 12. however, “out,”, since becoming ill, has taken on new meaning for me. after so many years of seeking to capture the promise of that distant horizon, i have discovered that “out” is defined less by geography than by perspective. each moment unfolds before us and lays bare the intimate details of her existence with exquisite candor, outlining the unique footprint of her ephemeral glory for us whether we notice the grace of her untiring performance or not. as a photographer, i aim to bear witness to this unfolding and in turn feel its stillness and quietude. i hope others will find in my images some of the deep and calming solace i experience in the profoundly humbling act of seeing itself.
thank you for visiting my site. please contact me at lara@shiningbirch.com with any questions or thoughts. i'd love to hear from you, whether through comments on the site or directly by email. i am relatively new to this and appreciate your feedback immensely.
- lara
PHOTO SHOWS:
**friday march 7th 3-5:30: tufts u., barnum hall, medford, ma
(women's day arts festival, sponsor: tufts feminist alliance)
**saturday march 8th 10-4: ayer town hall, ayer, ma
(artsmart, sponsor: ayer cultural council)
**may 1-28: tufts' slater concourse gallery, aidekman, medford, ma
(academics and artists, curator: roxanne samer, tufts u.)
**may 28-june 1: amherst college frost library, amherst, ma
**april-december: institute of quantitative social science
harvard u., cambridge, ma (1737 cambridge st. 3rd flr).
