Where the Water Use to Be is photographer Donna Rosser’s latest mini-exhibit at Peachtree City Library. This particular series of photographs of Lake Peachtree invites local residents to take a closer look at the empty lake to discover the beauty created by nature as it reclaims the land.
Stumps from trees cleared for the lake came into view as the water receded. In the spring, the grasses grew tall to cover them and gave the area a pastoral appearance. Seeds that had been previously washed into the lake grew; flowers, and even squash plants. Freshwater mussel shells now litter the ground. Tire tracks from golf carts mingle with duck footprints in the soft dirt. A thriving wetland ecosystem took the place of the man-made lake and boats. Water fowl, deer, frogs, and other creatures welcomed the cover and prosper in the middle of urban sprawl.
All photos were taken by standing where the water used to be.
These and more of Rosser’s images will be on display during October of this year at the Rankin Arts Center in Columbus. “Where the Water Used to Be” sprouted from the “Morning Walk” series. The “Walk” images were collected over a year during walks with friends around Lake Peachtree and along the multi-use paths.
Other photos of Rosser’s currently on display at the library include “Author’s Notes,” “Love Cloud,” and “East Beach,” which won the One Shot Competition of the International Photography Awards 2014, and received an honorable mention at the Texas Photographic Society’s TPS 24 and will travel throughout the state of Texas for the next 12 months.
Donna Rosser is a fine art photographer living in Fayetteville, Georgia. From Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to the Denver International Airport and the DC Metro, Rosser’s images give the passerby a moment to break from the industrial surroundings and take a breath of fresh air.
Her work has been exhibited nationally and at Chris Beetles Fine Photographs in London, winning many awards. She is presently teaching photography, shooting work, and working on a memoir. Her latest accomplishment was being nominated for the Allegra Johnson Prize in memoir through her studies at the UCLA Writers’ Program where she will complete a certificate in Creative Writing, Nonfiction this fall.
Find her online at thebarefootphotographer.com