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How-To

Nature & Nurture

Unique perspectives on outdoor photography and the importance of preserving our environment

This Article Features Photo Zoom

A sulphur butterfly poses in the crook of a tulip for Nancy Rotenberg. Rotenberg supplements her photography as a writer, including penning books such as Photography and The Creative Life and How to Photograph Close-Ups in Nature.

Persuasive Inspiration
Nancy Rotenberg
When meeting Nancy Rotenberg, you immediately sense the presence of a woman who uses her innate passion for life and love of photography to inspire others. For Rotenberg, nature photography not only is a celebration, but an affirmation of life.

“Photography gave me the ability to connect with nature and become the conduit for awareness of details that might otherwise go unnoticed,” says Rotenberg.

Rotenberg taught herself how to use a camera, but she credits photographers such as Freeman Patterson and Eliot Porter for inspiring her to pursue her passion early on. She also credits the writings of Rachel Carson and Thomas Moore and poet Nancy Wood for opening her eyes to the wonders of nature.

Rotenberg remains one of the most popular nature photography instructors in the country today. “Teaching became a second passion once I discovered the potential of using it in combination with my photography,” says Rotenberg. “I saw teaching as an avenue to show people how to engage in childlike, joyful ways and how to live creative lives.”

Understanding the competitiveness of the profession, Rotenberg has stayed true to who she is and what she values. “My goal is to discover subjects in which a personal expression is possible,” she says. “I get more satisfaction from photographing flower petal patterns or reflections of colors in a stream. Because of this, I’ve developed a niche, and I have a better chance of marketing my own expression of images.”

With four books to her credit, including the classic Photography and The Creative Life, Rotenberg also writes poems to describe her observations in nature. “I look for metaphors or allegories to describe a subject,” she says. “I try to find what’s unique about a subject or a situation and transfer that special quality into words and pixels.” Whether she writes, photographs or teaches, Rotenberg personifies eloquence in everything she does.

Spending a few days with Nancy Rotenberg at one of her workshops not only will fill students with knowledge, but also their hearts with inspiration and hope. Concludes Rotenberg, “Don’t allow others to limit your creativity or to tell you what you should or shouldn’t be doing.”

To see more of Nancy Rotenberg’s photography, visit www.naturaltapestries.com.

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