The coronavirus pandemic has banished us
from airports and offices and pushed us toward backyards, neighborhood
sidewalks and wooded trails. We’ve paid attention as spring blossoms turned to
green leaves, bunnies and deer skirted the edges of lawns, and seeds we’ve
planted started to sprout. Shirley Nuhn hopes that as we spend time outdoors
this summer, we’ll stop and take a photo. Particularly June 15, the day she
helped designate as Nature Photography Day nearly 15 years ago.
Nuhn, a parishioner of St. Mark Church
in Vienna, didn’t see a lot of wildlife while growing up in Chicago. She began
to appreciate nature more living across from a park in Milwaukee and even more
when she and her husband, John, moved to Oakton in 1982 so he could take a job
at National Wildlife magazine.
In the early 1990s, the couple was part
of the group that founded the North American Nature Photography Association.
According to the website, the organization seeks to “promotes the art and
science of nature photography as a medium of communication, nature
appreciation, and environmental protection.”
Nuhn has held a variety of jobs in her
life, including 23 years as an English teacher at Northern Virginia Community
College, primarily at the Annandale campus. When she lived in Milwaukee, she worked
for the Arthritis Foundation and the American Heart Association and noticed
they both had months dedicated to the awareness of their respective causes. Years
later, as part of NANPA, she thought the organization should establish a Nature
Photography Day during a month with plenty of opportunities for beautiful
outdoor photos. The first one was June 15, 2006.
“I do believe
that photography opens doors,” said Nuhn. “(Nature photography brings) not only
the appreciation of nature and the beauty that God gives us, but also an
understanding of things people are doing to adversely affect the environment.”
Before the coronavirus pandemic put a damper
on travel, NANPA used the slogan, “See where your photography takes you.” Nuhn
herself loved to visit the state parks of Florida to see manatees. Now, she’s
encouraging people to “Stay connected to the natural world,” instead.
“It makes my
heart feel really good when I can see that people are taking up a camera and
are willing to go out into their neighborhoods,” said Nuhn.
More than a way to learn about new
species or hone photography skills, capturing the beauty of creation is a means
to see God, said Nuhn. “It’s looking for the ways God
reveals himself in our daily lives,” she said.
“There
are certain novenas and prayers I’ve been saying even more often through the
coronavirus pandemic and since we haven’t had public Masses. One of them has to
do with Our Lady, Undoer of Knots,” said Nuhn. She then quoted Pope Francis’
prayer. “ ‘Untie the knots that prevent us from being united with God so that
we, free from sin and error, may find him in all things.’ And I really do take
that to heart — finding God in all things.”