What happens when you get close enough that something familiar becomes almost unrecognizable? Hidden Worlds explores the unexpected landscapes, colors and formations revealed through macro photography of crystals and minerals—and what we discover when we slow down long enough to really look.

An experienced photographer told me I wouldn’t get the shot. He understood the technical obstacles; I could already see the photograph I wanted to make. One rainy July evening at the Korean War Veterans Memorial taught me something about patience, vision—and staying long enough to find out for myself.

I picked up my dad’s Minolta when I was six years old and never really stopped looking. Photography taught me to notice the moments other people might walk past—and showed me how a fraction of a second can remain long after the moment itself is gone.

After years of photographing for clients, deadlines and everyone but myself, I realized how much I missed simply wandering with a camera and seeing what caught my attention. This is about returning to photography—not as the photographer I used to be, but as the one I’m becoming now.