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A Walk In The Woods
August 2001
In this issue we have the good fortune to publish a series of photographs of some relatively unknown treasures in the Catskill Mountains. Photographer Stu Spero is an explorer, and he found his way with a camera into places that many of us who know the countryside well have never seen.
Our cover features one of the rare covered bridges that still exist in the region, and it is quite a treat to see its rustic simplicity partially hidden by surrounding foliage and suspended over a rushing stream. Inside, there are three spectacular images of waterfalls, each with its own character. One is splashing down a series of naturally formed steps while creating tiny streams of water that look like white threads covering the rocks. Another is showering the atmosphere with such grand bursts of spray that one can almost hear the sounds of splashing water and feel the wetness on our cheeks. A third has split into two passages separated by a massive rock; they almost seem like two melodies moving contrapuntally alongside each other to reach the stillness of the pool below. A fourth water scene shows a rushing creek forging its way through ancient stone formations that it presumably helped create over the ages.
There are two other remarkable scenic views in the collection—an aged tree rising from a bed of ferns alongside a moss covered boulder, and a grand photograph of the natural wilderness on a hillside rich with midsummer foliage.
Beautiful photographs of nature can open our eyes to the grandeur that we may overlook as we make our way through woods and fields. We can learn to look with the eye of an artist and be uplifted by the scenes that are revealed to us. With or without a camera in our hands we too can become esthetic explorers and experience the joy of great visual discoveries.
— David Finn
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