Lynne Buchanan – The Poetry of Being

Review by Gerhard Clausing •

Nature demands our attention as well as our contemplation. Even more important, it requires us to be ever mindful as custodians of what has been around for millions of years. As Lynne Buchanan states in her afterword in this book, nature can help us deal with “the darkness of the times.” We are the ones who are fragile and temporary, and Mother Nature has a more long-term role as she attempts to cope and persist. Buchanan also says, “The often-lyrical way Mother Earth teaches us about the stages of life and death helps me live with what is happening to the planet and cope with mortality.”

This is the main strength of this photo book. It combines poetry with black-and-white images of nature. We see forests and meadows, plants and an occasional bird, and no humans at all.  We become aware of ever-changing seasons and life cycles. This reminds us that nature has a longevity that goes way beyond our brief existence on this planet. The monochrome nature of the images has a strong impact on us, but not in an overwhelming sort of way, but rather in a holistic manner. We also see many shades of gray that perhaps are subtle indications of the potential for new growth, as well as representing things that are more distant and perhaps almost beyond reach.

The haikus (three-line poems based on a Japanese model, often dealing with nature) and other poems are marked by their succinctness and wisdom, and are interspersed with the images, representing momentary impressions and impulses that always have a tinge of permanence and general meaning as well. The nuances expressed by both the words and the images are difficult to describe or reproduce in this review. You will need to see the excellent printing and superior arrangement, layout, and design of words and pictures in this photobook first-hand in order to fully appreciate them. Images 5 and 6 below are examples of a haiku and the image of a gnarled tree shown when you turn the page. So much natural history and development that preceded us and hopefully will follow in the future …

The combination of vast expanses and minute detail, along with the lyrical and other observations and thoughts serve as a fabulous compendium for us to consider both temporary and long-term phenomena, the light and dark moments in our lives. I recommend this book as a resource for getting in touch with what our planet has to offer and to consider the guardianship that it asks us to maintain, as we seek some balance in these times of environmental challenges.

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Gerhard Clausing, PhotoBook Journal Editor, is an author, photographer, and synthographer from Southern California.

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Lynne Buchanan – The Poetry of Being

Photographer:  Lynne Buchanan (hails from Sarasota, Florida; lives in Asheville, North Carolina)

Publisher:   Daylight Books; © 2023; 2019-2022 (texts, images)

Texts:  Poetry by Lynne Buchanan and James P. Lenfestey; essays by Pradip Malde and Lynne Buchanan

Language:  English

Hardback with illustrated cover; 112 pages, paginated, with 65 images; 9.25 x 11.25 inches (23.5 x 28.8 cm); printed in Turkey by Ofset Yapimevi; ISBN 978-1-9541192-3-9

Creative Director:  Ursula Damm

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Articles and photographs published in the PhotoBook Journal may not be reproduced without the permission of the PhotoBook Journal staff and the photographer(s). All images, texts, and designs are under copyright by the authors and publishers.