Little Pieces of Joy
Lone Loon (Gavia immer) at Dawn
Photographer Sarah Jensen Captures NWO’s Diverse Natural World
Story by Bonnie Schiedel, Photos by Sarah Jensen
“Photography is a way for me to find those little pieces of joy and vibrancy in the natural world,” says Thunder Bay photographer Sarah Jensen. “I was a kid that spent a tonne of time outside, just looking at every little bug and leaf and flower.” Today, Jensen posts her work on her Instagram page @vvildflowers (that’s with two “v” not “w”), carefully curating the grid to create a pleasing scroll through harmonious colours and themes. “It’s a way to bring that stuff to other people and show them, hey, you might not have thought about this little tiny bird that landed in a bush, or the way that a mushroom grows out of the moss in the woods,” she says. “But it’s also to remind me of those things as well, and to keep finding that joy and to see the world as vibrant and colourful as it is.”
Photographer Sarah Jensen
Jensen has been taking pictures with a digital camera since she was around 10 or 11, teaching herself through YouTube tutorials and other online resources over the last decade or so. She takes particular care to practice ethical wildlife photography, making sure not to get too close to animals or be disruptive to their own natural routines, and using a zoom lens that keeps her up to a couple hundred metres away from her subject. “I always whisper a ‘thanks!’ to any wildlife I photograph, even if I don’t get the perfect shot, for spending that time with me.”
She combines her love of photography with her love of learning about the natural world, often using field guides and drawing on her volunteer experience with Lakehead Region Conservation Authority to both learn more about what she’s viewing and provide some informative captions.
Sharing her work makes an impact. “My friends joke that I’ve got all the grandparent hobbies, and that they’re slowly absorbing them,” says Jensen, laughing. “But they couldn’t really identify something as common as a robin, and then [since I’ve been] sharing my photos, now they’re sending me pictures saying, ‘Hey, I just saw cedar waxwing!’”
To see more of Sarah Jensen’s work, visit her Instagram @vvildflowers.