Zatista The premier source for original art online

Here in Southern California, the late spring weather has been heavenly –  pulling me outside on most days. It’s the perfect season to take my three year old daughter on walks through the neighborhood. It’s also a great opportunity for both of us to slow down and appreciate nature’s endless marvels.

Chip Etier "Dogwood" zatista.com

From the enthusiastic perspective of a 36″ tall toddler, nearly everything is a treasure to discover and talk about on our walks.

Erin Jones "Curve" zatista.com

Even from my taller vantage point, it’s refreshing to acknowledge all the beauty packed into the details of life.

Michelle Wermuth "Lollipop Lollipop" zatista.com

It is pure pleasure to soak up the sights at close range – butterflies; a carpet of white alyssum; a dandelion.

Jeffrey Hummel "Graine" zatista.com

Back in my grown-up mind, I start envisioning photographs of rocks, flowers and bugs.

Mark Smith "White Moth" zatista.com

In reality the colors are vivid but today I see the world around me through the simplicity of a black and white lens. Next, my mind wanders and imagines plentiful arrangements of framed photographs in rooms like this,

image from Houzz.com

or this,

Image from Houzz.com

or this.

Image from Houzz.com

Now that the weather’s warming up, treat yourself to an outdoor ramble. Move at a slow pace, look where you don’t normally look, and see artful tableaux pop up all around you.

Taylor Gillis "Untitled (1)" zatista.com

If you are inspired by what you see, bring paintings, drawings and photos of these natural wonders into your home and create ways to appreciate the enchantment of the outdoors year-round.

Some of my favorite travel photography was created decades ago when the world still seemed a mystery and far away places were truly exotic. But today, air travel, television, and the internet have made even the most foreign scenery somewhat familiar to us.

From Vietnam to Vancouver, while on vacation I take as many snapshots as the next person.

gettyimages.com Brian Lawrence "Statue of Liberty"

But once I’m home loading pictures into iPhoto, I’m often surprised to see that my most interesting images are of the least expected subject matter.

zatista.com Jennifer Childs "Little Italy Remaining"

I like to apply this theory to collecting travel photography as well, in order to curate a compelling group of unique photographic images. You’ll notice in the pair of New York images above – as well as in the pairings of Italy, Greece and beach images below – an obvious image is juxtaposed with something less expected and therefore a bit more enticing.

gettyimages.com Arctic-Images "Leaning tower of Pisa, Tuscany, Italy"

zatista.com "Discussion" by Daniel Grant

For me, the challenge to collecting travel photography is to evoke a sense of a place without falling for the obvious images of that place.

gettyimages.com "Parthenon Facade, Acropolis, Athens, Greece" by Harald Sund

zatista.com "Dock Workers Athens" by Simon MacArthur

Case in point: At the beach house where we stayed during a recent holiday in Florida, I came face to face with a terribly boring group of artworks. These images added next to nothing of interest to the home simply because the subject matter was too similar to what we saw outside during the day. If a person sits poolside every night watching the sunset, why hang a photo of that same sunset in the living room? The redundancy didn’t do much for me.

gettyimages.com "Razorbill" by Guy Edwardes

zatista.com "Fins" by Nick Lavecchia

Take your travel photography collecting to the next level- don’t miss an opportunity to let your original art collection add impact to your surroundings. When it comes to travel photography, go a step beyond clichéd subject matter. Images that maximize intrigue and minimize the obvious will bring you years more enjoyment and may even enhance the mystery of all the places you’ve visited, or dream of visiting one day.