Kessi World

Reunite with the land.

Nature Photography by Matthew Kessi — Pacific Northwest Galleries

A camera in the archives of Matthew Kessi, this Kodak Disk camera from the 1980's has a copper panel over black plastic casing.
My first camera. A 15 frame Kodak Disc 3100.

I got a Kodak Disc camera for my tenth birthday. My first subjects were the pigs on our farm — they’re more photogenic than you’d think. Fifteen frames to a roll, a week’s wait at the drug store, and if two came back worth keeping I considered it a triumph.

Forty-odd years of looking later, the equipment has changed beyond recognition and the practice hasn’t changed at all. A photograph is what happens when you stop long enough to actually see something.

That’s the same practice I write about in The Wild Cure and teach in my mentorship work. Slow down. Notice. Let the Natural World show you something. The camera is just what I happen to be holding when it does.

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The Photo Gallery of Kessi World has many past cameras, including this Nikon N6006 SLR film camera from the late 1990's. The NIKON letters are prominent in the shot, with black casing and features.
This was my third Nikon SLR and final film camera. Among many wonderful journeys, this camera took a magnificent series of black and white photos on a then-remote part of the Great Wall of China.
This instant camera is on the Kessi World website in the Photo Gallery section, highlight past cameras used by Matthew Kessi. This Rollei Prego115 has a grey casing and the on/off switch is prominently displayed.
My last film point-and-shoot camera traveled all over the world with me in the early 2000’s, including South Africa and several trips to Ireland.

Collections

From bonsai trees to Pacific seascapes — every photograph on this site is my own. Some are snapshots of a moment that wouldn’t wait. Others came out of long, patient sitting, which is its own kind of work.

Each collection below is a place I spent real time with. A few of them changed how I see.

These images are invitations. Look at one long enough and something usually looks back.

That’s the whole practice — slowing down, noticing, and letting the Natural World show you something about yourself. If you’d like more of it, I send a photo journey most weeks.

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With thanks

I’ve admired Jen Ciesielski’s photography for years — she has a better eye for light than I do. She writes about life and travel in France at Dabbling in Jet Lag.