As I explore the natural world through my camera, I find that my photography has strong parallels to my vocation as a psychotherapist. One art is aligned with the other.
As a therapist I support my clients as they navigate the vicissitudes of experience, and as a photographer I bring a similar sense of respect as I capture the astonishing variations of life and interconnectedness in the natural world.
I love looking at the familiar in new ways, and using my imagination to disrupt “normal”… to create new terrain.
In both realms, I think that using a “third eye” has the potential for sparking joy, bearing empathic witness to adversity, and perhaps even creating a deeper appreciation for the cycle of life.
— Ellen Sanford
**All photographs copyright Ellen Sanford 2020**
New Terrain
Springtime Grace 
Undersea Dreams 
Yearning 
The invisible enemy is a virus 
Delicacy 
Victorious after a challenge 
Reaching out 
Sorrow and hope 
A time to dance 
Surrounded by future generations 
Enchanted forest 
Missing friends and social connections 
Passages near the end of life 
Floating 
Power struggle 
Conflict 
Swimming through enchanted waters 
Imagining other worlds 
A mother with her (thousands of) offspring 
Unusual terrain 
From birth, we seek connection 
Missing a loved one who’s only with us in spirit 
North woods tableau 
A time of memories and reflection 
New life carried forth, silently surrounding us 
Whirling dervish 
Cathedral 
A garden of broken dreaams 
Keeping the promise 
Paying attention to nature’s mysteries 
Dance 
Grand dames cavorting 
Gently billowing 
Time to unfurl and sing 
Jazz 
Strength and focus 
Loyal friends surround a wounded soul 
A dance of procreation 
Elegance, personified 
Pssst! Pass it on! 
North woods majesty 
Some stay quarantined longer than others 
Girl power 
Unbearable grief 
The belle of the ball 
I don’t understand my native land any more 
Delphine’s garden 
Blossoming into womanhood 
Too many riches to count 
Calling to neighbors