A Garden of Serenity

A winter morning in mid-March, sunrise skimmed across the top of the trees. Air felt unusually clear, the sunlight a little warmer, with our small procession of dachshunds following closely at my feet. Then I looked up and saw them for the first time this season, the plum trees quietly coming into bloom before the leaves.

In that moment came a deep sense of calm, wonder, and renewal. Another winter had passed.

The blossoms on a tree bare of its leaves felt like a quiet turning point. For some time, I had felt increasingly unfulfilled with my photography, sensing that something more personal and immersive was waiting to emerge. Standing beneath those branches filtered with morning light, I knew it was time to change direction.

Among the many public and private gardens that have inspired me, I continually return to the images of the romantic, informal gardens of Ninfa. A place where nature, time, atmosphere, and the remnants of history exist together in quiet harmony, a renewal amongst ruins.

I personally feel, in my honest opinion, that it is one of the most beautiful, peaceful gardens in the world.