David Cook

Austin, Texas

“My work attempts to instill and nurture a sense of wonder in children of all ages so they can connect more deeply and passionately with the natural world and treasure its gifts. I want the viewers to be touched as I am with the beauty and wonder of nature.”

With dynamic images of birds in flight, photographer David Cook reveals the ballet-like motion of the egret’s wing, the graceful curves of a pelican’s flight, and the elegance of a Sandhill Crane. Cook’s practice is inspired by his training as a Texas Master Naturalist, a passion for the natural world, and by Rachel Carson’s book The Sense of Wonder. Carson describes a sense of wonder “so indestructible that it would last throughout life.” With his photography, Cook hopes that he can inspire others to find and nurture their own sense of wonder.

Cook’s Avian Apparitions series of photographs explores the artistry of birds and flight. By doing so, he captures ghost-like images of the birds. With Avian Apparitions, Cook asks us to consider a future in which only the ghosts of these birds remain in the landscape where they once flourished. A future where we can only imagine the gracefulness of the egret’s flight. Where we can no longer marvel at an Osprey’s hunt, or a warbler’s song. By creating ghostly images of the birds, he hopes to instill in us a greater appreciation for the beauty they add to the world.

“Birds have wings; they’re free; they can fly where they want when they want. They have the kind of mobility many people envy.”

- Roger Tory Peterson