Susan Kjellsen Photography

Living in the Desert

October 02, 2019 • Leave a Comment

I've lived in the Mojave Desert for about a month now. I am struck time and again by its harsh beauty, clear light, and fragility. Not much can grow or live in the desert, but those plants and animals that do are suited for the environment. Step off the roadway and be prepared for every plant and bush to poke you, stick you, or sting you. The warni...

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The House in the Horseshoe

February 05, 2013 • Leave a Comment

We had a cold snap a few days ago with lots of wind and icy streets. When the weather is like that around here, we don’t go anywhere. We stay home, build a fire in the fireplace, read books and wonder if the lights will stay on. At last, a warm front moved in, melted the ice and confused a few of my flowering plants into blooming. With seventy-d...

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Kanuga Photography Retreat

January 17, 2013 • 1 Comment

Learning to be a Photographer Seven years ago, all I wanted to be was a photographer. I burned with the idea that I could portray the beauty of the world around me in pictures. I had a fancy new camera and no idea how to use it. Oh, I could put it on automatic and take pictures but if I had a success, I didn’t know how to repeat it. After listen...

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Consider the Pond

January 12, 2013 • 2 Comments

Something there is that loves a pond. Henry David Thoreau found his transcendental inspiration at Walden Pond, contemplating its beauty and the meaning of life for two years, two months and two days. Irish poet William Allingham, also moved by a pond, wrote: “Four ducks on a pond, / A grass-bank beyond, / A blue sky of spring, / White clouds on the...

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