Born in Massachusetts, Alexandria photographer Rodney Fisher has lived from coast to coast in some dramatic settings, from the Mojave Desert to the shores of Florida, central Pennsylvania, as well as the deep South.
Exposed to beautiful places, he developed an appreciation for the natural world. It was his first walks in the California redwood forests that mesmerized him. “The sun cutting through early morning fog in Muir Woods, the sweet scent of the trees, everything enormous in scale, yet so quiet and tranquil, was deeply moving,” he said. “Shortly thereafter, I toured Big Sur and Yosemite. Their magnificence described by others was even more impressive than I imagined. I began to see and hear nature, its importance as well as its fragility.”
Rodney Fisher
His first trip to Alexandria was years ago when he and his sisters visited their mother for the Christmas holidays. The historic homes and buildings in Old Town near her house “were beyond beautiful and elegant,” Fisher said. Visiting local museums and other historic sites cemented his passion for history. “I was truly taken, and hoped to move here one day. Happily, now, Alexandria is home.”
“When first visiting Huntley Meadows, I was amazed to discover how large, yet secluded, the wetlands were,” he said. After regularly exploring the wetlands for a couple of years, scores of photographs filled his camera’s memory cards. “My search for pictorial books about Huntley Meadows came up empty, so I decided to create my own,” Fisher said.
Of the 8,000 photos he took in the park, he chose 69 for his book, “Huntley Meadows, A Natural Treasure.” The book includes a general history of Huntley Meadows and celebrates the unique beauty of the forested wetlands.
WHAT KIND OF CAMERA DO YOU USE?
My camera is a Nikon digital SLR.
WHAT TIME OF DAY DO YOU USUALLY TAKE PHOTOS?
Impressive sunsets and often more animals are some of the rewards I’ve found on late afternoon visits.
WHICH PHOTO IS YOUR FAVORITE?
The cover photo. It was midday, crisp and calm, with light animating the forests and drawing out the blue in the wetlands. An autumn lover who is always looking for a memorable landscape, I found everything about this particular moment sublime. A close second: all the park animals. At times, turtles, egrets, deer, geese and herons posed. It was fascinating to see them as curious about me as I was about them.
“Huntley Meadows, A Natural Treasure,” is available as both a softcover and ebook. The book is currently available to order online at major booksellers including Amazon, Book Baby Bookshop, Barnes and Noble, Books A Million and others.
