Pause & Appreciate Natural Beauty with Todd Wiggins’ “Presence”
As a first-time exhibitor, traveler extraordinaire Todd Wiggins brings a unique, thoughtful eye to each scene he encounters. “The original reason for taking this picture was that I thought it was beautiful, so I found a unique angle looking directly down from above the cactus,” he says. “This framed the delicate bloom amid the harsh spines protruding in every direction from the stems below.
“Presence,” by Todd Wiggins (Tonto Plateau, Grand Canyon National Park)
“Unknowingly at the time and as sometimes luckily happens, this photograph also captured the feeling of the moment and the essence of the object.
“I feel the ‘presence’ of nature in this photograph - the peace of the dessert, the grandeur of its home in the Grand Canyon,” he adds. "I'm fortunate to be a backpacking guide in the Grand Canyon and to experience nature up close while I'm doing my job. Nature is a good teacher, and one of the things it's trying to teach me is to be present. I later saw a deeper, personal meaning for this photo.
“Earlier this year, I experienced a traumatic event that could have made me retreat from the world,” he adds. “I had to work not to let this happen and to stay open. Experiences like this can make you more or less present depending upon how you react to them. To overcome the walls we put between ourselves and others and between ourselves and fully living, we have to let go and be present. This photo reflects a specific moment when I was actually able to do that. I was in the Grand Canyon at the right place on the specific day that this cactus decided to bloom. We shared a moment, and it made me stop and appreciate how great life is.”
“Presence,” a photograph output to beveled foam core and float-mounted on board, is offered for a donation to Positive Impact for $400.
More about the artist:
Todd has made several abrupt turns in his life. Ten years of corporate marketing left him with a desire to seek more of a direct impact from his work. He relocated from Atlanta to New York City and became a NYC Teaching Fellow, teaching students with emotional and learning disabilities in some of Manhattan's toughest high schools. After moving back to Georgia and while teaching for two more years (5th grade this time), Todd turned 40, and his mother, boyfriend and friends gave him a digital SLR camera to replace one which had been stolen a few year's earlier.
Then, Todd redirected his life once again. He and his boyfriend, Tom, decided to give up their permanent addresses and explore the world. In the past three years, Todd and Tom have done just this between guiding backpacking trips for REI Adventures each spring and fall in the Grand Canyon. During this time, Todd has resurrected a long-avoided dream to establish himself as a professional writer. Todd and Tom's traveling lifestyle also provides many opportunities to develop his art as a photographer.