When I was in grade school The Weekly Reader was something I looked forward to; my favorite part was trying to guess what was pictured in the column that featured an object photographed up close.  I didn’t know what macro photography was back then and certainly couldn’t conceive of a world with smartphones and apps that brought it to my fingertips 24/7, but that early fascination with those images has certainly brought me, in part, to how I see the world today.  Many of my daily Instagrams are up close and personal.

This week I visited dear friends in Louisiana and was delighted to find Elephant Ears (Colocasia) growing by their pool.

They were majestic and intriguing from afar but it was getting close to them that really held my interest.

In many aspects of life, not just the visual, the real story usually lies in the layers and minutia that exist beneath the surface.  It takes time to slow down enough to discover those layers but it’s always worth it.