Susan Ford Collins
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Flickr keeps me sane and happy while writing books and seeing clients. Sometimes my images are used on book covers... the face of my granddaughter on Our Children Are Watching, a handful of mangoes from a neighbor's yard on The Miracle Diet, and flowers and butterflies on The Tropical Garden magazine from Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden here in Miami.
Professionally, I am a writer, speaker and executive coach. Early mornings I walk my neighborhood here in tropical South Florida with my Nikon strapped around my neck. I’m a home person, a family person. I love tending my finches, my magnificent Koi, and my lush fast-growing foliage. I am frequently invited to unusual places around the world. I savor shadows and reflections. I thoroughly love life.
My camera is my way of preserving a drop of Norfolk Island pine sap hanging in the air. A family of geese unexpectedly rushing up to nibble my shoes and pants. The moment I opened my window in China and saw pink lotus blossoms holding pools of rain in their pads.
On morning walks, I stop to taste lush tropical fruit… Surinam cherries, Carambola and Jaboticaba (see how its luscious fruit grows right on trunks and branches). I love shadows and reflections. I rescue discarded plants and nurture them to health and bloom… Bromeliads, Heliconias and Palms.
It was in Shanghai that I first learned about flickr. I had taken a 1,000 + pictures and told my new photo buddy, Andy Chang at Microsoft, my husband Albert's company, that I was searching for a way to share these pictures with my friends in China and to show them pictures of my US home and life. Andy walked over to a computer and showed me his flickr site. And I have been adding pictures and sets ever since.
In February 2009, I began reaching out to flickr groups. I am profoundly inspired by your brilliant shots and unique perspectives! Your pictures move me to chills and to tears! Now I am daily submitting images, making comments and inviting contacts... and thanks to "my tech guru" I have the computer support to do it. I am so glad you are sharing your unique perspectives on life and nature with me. Be in touch!
Jungle Mama
Why did I choose to make Jungle Mama my name on flickr? Several years ago my dear friend Harriet Bienfield wrote this poem for my birthday...
Jungle mama
peering around the edge of a broad-leafed palm, home amid the watery life of fishes splashed with orange and inky spots dancing with birds whose sounds penetrate thick, humid air with crystalline voices
singing the praises of
Jungle mama
mingling with cats and dogs as if they were sacred texts spelling in braille the secret rituals of everyday life informing us of how to be human and still find our place within the universe of creatures large and small.
Jungle mama friend to the knowledgeable who, unacquainted with their power of knowing, rely upon her to set the compass so that they may sail the seas of experience and reach their destination.
Jungle mama
guided by the stars soft breezes and the mist that hovers upon crushed leaves at dawn, whispering tales of spirit and triumph.
Michael Lapointe
Subject: I like your work
Susan, I follow many people on Flickr. I have a variety of attractions. Sometimes I am wowed by the technical quality of the image, other times I love the subjects (lighthouses always get me, as do night sky shots filled with color and clarity. A third grouping would be people who have obvious passion for encountering the world through the lens. You bring tenderness, caring and passion to your images. Thanks for sharing that joy with us through Flickr.
Showcase
- JoinedAugust 2006
- OccupationCoach, writer, speaker... www.technologyofsuccess.com
- HometownRichmond, VA
- Current cityMiami, FL
- CountryUSA
- Websitehttp://susanfordcollins.com/
Most popular photos
Testimonials
YOUR PHOTOS are all excellent. There are many that are favorites, but it would not be right to mark them all as favorites. You are, however, one of my favorite photographers. Flickr is one amazing addition to our lives. Where else can one create an image and begin getting feedback upon it so quickly? Flickr is the … Read more
YOUR PHOTOS are all excellent. There are many that are favorites, but it would not be right to mark them all as favorites. You are, however, one of my favorite photographers. Flickr is one amazing addition to our lives. Where else can one create an image and begin getting feedback upon it so quickly? Flickr is the only site I use and I find it rewarding. I have been a member for almost two years and each day I find new artists and photographers who are fantastic, artists and photographers who deserve much fame and fortune.You deserve both. Thanks for sharing your photos with the world. Robert L. Huffstutter
Read lessJungle Mama (Susan) is a true friend and have wonderful, colourful pictures. Its a joy to see the beautiful colours and creations. I hope that you will continue your work....take care always..big hugs Sincerely Jim
jungle mama make images from her heart and soul. She is connected to the nature. Although she takes the time to explain the facts, the image takes the viewer beyond the words.
Susan, Thanks for your visits and comments! But more than that - thanks for the refreshing views and perspectives you bring to your contacts through your photos. I have really come to look forward to the delightful mini-botany/zoology lessons! Your joy of discovery and sharing is delightfully contagious! I had … Read more
Susan, Thanks for your visits and comments! But more than that - thanks for the refreshing views and perspectives you bring to your contacts through your photos. I have really come to look forward to the delightful mini-botany/zoology lessons! Your joy of discovery and sharing is delightfully contagious! I had been saving this little song from Mokey (Fraggle Rock) for some annotation to a future post of mine. Stumbled on it today and it so reminded me of your photos and your approach to flickr that I decided to share it with you..... Show me the light in a butterfly's eye. And show me the dreams of the Earth and the sky. Show me the night. Show me the day. Show me the secret that dances away. There's a rainbow I wish I could climb like a tree. A bug and a boulder that beckons to me. Show me leaves in the spring. Show me love on the wing. Show me things that I long to explore. Show me more. Show me the color. Show me the sound. Show me the magic that lays all around. In the shapes of a rock I see mountains and moons, And I sometimes believe that the colors are tunes. Show me tears in the stones. Show me thimbles and thrones. Show me things that I long to explore. Show me more. Show me the light in a butterfly's eye. And show me the dreams of the Earth and the sky. I do think that's what your photos do! ;-) Best Regards, Seddeg
Read lessTextures and color scents and sound so carefully and wonderfully you dissect each glance each step. Through your journey your camera has always been your eye dangled around your neck as you travel through the same normal and rapidly traveled path only to find a new treasure a tiny detail so unbelievably beauti… Read more
Textures and color scents and sound so carefully and wonderfully you dissect each glance each step. Through your journey your camera has always been your eye dangled around your neck as you travel through the same normal and rapidly traveled path only to find a new treasure a tiny detail so unbelievably beautiful a world within the world the texture the light the color the feeling the composition right there through the lens the click the capture the feeling of owning something so beautiful and special if only for a moment. You not only look at the world but see it. You create something by looking at it differently carefully lovingly with nothing but your eyes you let what is be… and what is is by itself beautiful if you just look. Kathy
Read lessI look at hundreds of photographs on Flickr every day but, sometimes, on really good days, I come across a Photostream that just blows my socks off, and Susan's is one of those. Looking through her work there are so many wonderful shots that I wouldn't know where to start if I were to Fav them, for to praise one may… Read more
I look at hundreds of photographs on Flickr every day but, sometimes, on really good days, I come across a Photostream that just blows my socks off, and Susan's is one of those. Looking through her work there are so many wonderful shots that I wouldn't know where to start if I were to Fav them, for to praise one may lead to the inference that I think less of another, and that would be unjust. Suffice to say that seeing her work has improved the quality of my life and, for that, I am grateful. Now I look forward to the future with a shade more optimism.
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