When I first got into photography, I had a two month period one spring when I happened to come across lots of vintage glass bottles in the countryside, usually with something growing inside them. I found more at that time than I think I have ever done in my life. Maybe I was spending more time off the beaten track, or maybe my new found photographic interest was sharpening my vision for these minute details in the undergrowth. For whatever the reason, I just kept on finding them.
Rather than looking untidy or grotesque as so many of our impacts on the planet do, I found that in almost all cases nature had started to reclaim or use what people had discarded. Things had started to grow on or within the bottles. I took pictures of these miniature ecosystems as I found them, but was frustrated at the time that the photos never quite looked how I had originally imagined. They sat on my hard drive for years, until today (Feb 10th, 2015). Using photo editing skills I have learnt since that time, I can revisit the collection and make them look how I originally intended. I think the reason I’m attracted to these bits of junk is because they’re all fostering their own unique worlds and ecosystems within, their original purpose long-since forgotten. The plants and natural structures living in there are distorted and feel more distant when viewed through the old, often tinted glass.
The collection is called “Life in a Bottle”, but I will be adding all examples of nature reclaiming items discarded by people as I find them. I hope you enjoy!
mrlowndes 
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