Don Sutherland's photos

Chrysanthemums at the New York Botanical Garden (Bronx, New York)—October 31, 2026

Giant pumpkin on display at the New York Botanical Garden (Bronx, New York)—October 31, 2026. The pumpkin weighed in at 2,598 pounds or 1,177 kilograms.

A migrating Monarch Butterfly at the New York Botanical Garden (Bronx, New York)—October 18, 2026

Drawing upon a vase photographed at the American Museum of Natural History on February 19, 2024 and a sculpture photographed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 16, 2026, Echoes from the Past employs artificial intelligence (AI) to transform fragments of material history into a haunting contemporary portrait. Ancient forms, intricate geometric patterns, and weathered surfaces converge in a face suspended between antiquity and the digital age. The symmetry of the eyes and the sculptural contours evoke the enduring power of ancient artistic traditions, while deliberate pixelation dissolves the surrounding features into a mosaic of fragmented images. These digital disruptions suggest the erosion of memory, the passage of centuries, and the incomplete ways in which the past survives and is reconstructed in the present. The softly rendered, lifelike lips provide a striking contrast to the ancient forms and fractured digital textures surrounding them. Their warmth and vitality suggest a living presence emerging from the remnants of history, reminding us that although civilizations rise and disappear, the fundamental essence of our shared humanity endures.

A pair of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at the New York Botanical Garden( Bronx, New York)—September 19, 2026 Additional scenes: An artistic “stained glass” composition generated by AI from an adaptation of three photos taken at the New York Botanical Garden:

Waterlily at the New York Botanical Garden (Bronx, New York)—October 3, 2026 A solitary white waterlily rests upon an expanse of deep blue, its luminous petals rising just above the surface while its reflection extends into the water below. The restrained composition isolates the bloom from the surrounding pond, transforming a botanical subject into an image of stillness and contemplation. Behind it, an unopened waterlily bud introduces a quiet sense of time and transition. One flower is fully revealed. The other still awaits its moment in the sun even as the days grow shorter.

Waterlily at the New York Botanical Garden (Bronx, New York)—September 19, 2026

A frog rests quietly among the lily pads at the New York Botanical Garden (Bronx, New York)—September 7, 2026 The scene invites an affectionate nod to the fairy tale of the frog prince, transforming an ordinary moment in the garden into one filled with anticipation, humor, and possibility. The shallow focus heightens the sense of reverie. The frog occupies the tangible present, while the luminous waterlily beyond seems almost dreamlike. Waiting for His Princess finds enchantment in the revelation that the natural world already contains its own stories.

Digital artwork I developed from photos taken at various art galleries and from the High Line in New York City's Chelsea District (New York, New York)— September 12, 2026. Architecture, memory, and narrative collapse into a single continuous space. A filmstrip featuring Tania Franco Klein's "Game Over" currently exhibited at the Yancey Richardson Gallery declares, "Game Over." Yet, rather than arriving at an ending, the viewer is drawn upward into a soaring current of lines, windows, color, and light. The work treats memory as something that is constantly edited, reframed, and experienced anew. Stairways suggest passage. People occupy separate moments. Flowing lines escape the boundaries of walls and architecture, connecting otherwise fragmented spaces. The gallery becomes a place in which images are preserved even as their meanings continue to change. The title proposes its central paradox. Every ending contains the possibility of return. The final frame does not close the narrative. It becomes the point from which the story begins again, or a new story is born.

The Three Graces at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, New York)—June 19, 2026. The background was replaced with a pastel background using AI to replace the background. The marble sculpture is from the 2nd century CE. It is a Roman copy of a Greek work from the 2nd century B.C. These young girls, linked in a dance-like pose, represent The Three Graces: Aglaia (Beauty), Euphrosyne (Mirth), and Thalia (Abundance).

Sunrise at Manor Park (Larchmont, New York)—August 30, 2026. The view about 15 minutes earlier:

Low clouds suddenly sweep in less than 15 minutes before sunset (Shenandoah National Park, Virginia)—August 4, 2026

Close-up of a preening swan at Oakland Lake (Queens, New York)—August 21, 2026. Oakland Lake is a 15,000-year-old spring-fed glacial kettle pond. The lake, formerly known as “Mill Pond, was renamed “Oakland Lake” for the 19th-century estate on the site referred to as “The Oaks.” Drawn close to the swan’s resting form, the photograph transforms a familiar waterbird into a study of texture, color, and introspection. Soft white plumage surrounds the deep black facial mask and vivid orange bill, while the partially veiled eye lends the portrait an air of guarded stillness. At this intimate scale, elegance gives way to individuality. The swan becomes a living presence absorbed in a private moment.

Photographed at my workplace in the Bronx, this Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia) offered a simple reminder that beauty can be found everywhere, if one looks. Native to Mexico and Central America, the species has been widely cultivated as an ornamental far beyond its native range. The flower’s journey into gardens around the world also reflects a broader history of plants crossing borders through horticulture, collecting, and exchange. In much the same way, human travel and cultural exchange, when guided by curiosity, respect, and reciprocity, allow ideas, traditions, and perspectives to move between communities. Like a plant taking root in new soil without losing the character of its origins, people can carry their heritage into new places while learning from others. These encounters can cultivate understanding, inspire new forms of creativity, and make the world more connected, generous, and beautiful. To mark Anna Atkins’ pioneering work in botanical imagery, the first half of the photo was converted into an Anna Atkins-style cyanotype. Atkins used the cyanotype process to create Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions , begun in 1843, the first book illustrated with photographic images. The second half presents the actual flower, placing one of photography’s earliest botanical processes beside a contemporary photographic record. The right-most section of the flower was cropped. This leaves the future of photography to the imagination. The original noisy background was replaced with a solid background to remove distraction and bring the flower’s form and color forward. The flower remains the subject as photographed, while the presentation emphasizes the ideas at the heart of the image concerning the evolution of botanical photography and that beauty can be found in ordinary places whenever we take the time to look. World Photography Day celebrates France's gifting daguerreotypes invented by Louis Daguerre and Nicéphore Niépce to the world on August 19, 1839.

Portland Head Light (Cape Elizabeth, Maine)—July 23, 2025 Portland Head Light was lit for the first time on January 10, 1791, with 16 whale-oil lamps in a 72-foot tower. Over the following century, the lighthouse underwent significant improvements, including new keeper residences, Fresnel lenses, a cast-iron staircase, and a 20-foot increase in tower height. Its history also includes the dramatic 1886 wreck of the Annie C. Maguire , whose passengers and crew were rescued with help from Keeper Joshua Strout, his family, and local volunteers. The present keeper’s quarters, built as a two-story duplex in 1891, housed lighthouse keepers and their families until 1989. The iconic lighthouse is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Luray Caverns (Luray, Virginia)—August 5, 2026 Beneath Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Luray Caverns is a cathedral built one drop at a time. Mineral-rich water has sculpted its immense chambers into forests of stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and flowing stone. At Luray, a stalactite grows approximately one inch every 120 years. Its largest stalactite is approximately 70,000 years old and predates the asteroid that brought about the demise of the dinosaurs. Additional photos are below.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly at the New York Botanical Garden (Bronx, New York)—July 24, 2026. A texture was used to create the final image. Suspended between blossom and light, an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly emerges from a landscape softened by haze, texture, and memory. Its wings remain briefly visible as the surrounding garden dissolves into luminous silence. The image invites the viewer into the fleeting moment between presence and disappearance.

Untermyer Gardens (Yonkers, New York)—July 25, 2026. Untermyer Gardens was created in 1917 by Samuel and Minnie Untermyer. This public garden features flowers, monumental architecture, and multicultural design.