New Path to Nature

by DIG-IT

by Geri Lozauskas

In 2005, my husband Dennis and I were living in a townhouse in Madison, NJ. We had a 6 x 12-foot small garden plot. It had one rose bush and some perennials.

I had a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography. In the past I had worked as a floral designer. I still dabbled in photography and had a love for flowers and gardens.

I decided to take a garden photography class given at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township. The teacher was Mary Jasch. I figured it would be a great way to combine two things that I loved: photography and flowers.

There were only seven students in this five-week workshop. At each two-hour session we would roam the grounds of the arboretum to capture its floral essence. We shared our work and thoughts and learned from each other. Mary would give us an assignment each week that would inspire me to photograph gardens in a new way. I would do the assignment, but always decided to go back to the gardens for many more hours to take more photos. My husband Dennis always went with me and together we would prowl the grounds clicking away.

Our class installed a photography exhibit of our work which hung at the arboretum for a month. Mary sent press releases about the exhibit to daily and local papers, including The New York Times. We were written up in the papers. My photo appeared in The New York Times to announce the exhibit. I was so thrilled that I called family and friends to tell them.

Mary’s class and teaching inspired me so much. After that, Dennis and I would travel around to photograph other gardens and nature. Her workshop opened my eyes in a new way to the natural world.

In 2007 we moved to Greenbriar. In 2008 we established our nature photography business and continued to exhibit and sell our work.

Back in 2005 when I signed up for a five-week photography workshop, little did I know it would change my life’s path.

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published April 04, 2015