Oscar-nominated filmmaker and fine art photographer Pen Densham says he doesn’t want to capture nature as it looks. He wants to capture nature as it feels. That’s why he continually challenges conventional image-making techniques with results that often surprise him.

“I have an enormous body of experimental images on all kinds of nature subjects,” says Densham, who uses a Sony Alpha 7R IV and is publishing a new photo book, “Qualia.” “Trees, plants, streams, waves, water reflections of all kinds, fall leaves, koi, waterfalls, beach sand.” He’s sprayed mist from a hose to create rainbows over swimming koi; he’s moved his hands during exposures to make plants dance; he’s used super high ISOs with ND9 filters to emphasize grain and noise, and long exposures to reveal sculptural flows in streams. “Every image is a total experiment, but the results can be amazing.” Though his work involves “a massive amount of discards,” he notes, he’s begun to return to them with fresh eyes. “When I tweak an image and it reaches some kind of Zen rightness, I choke up.” 

Amanda Arnold is a senior editor.