Mountains with different coloured rocks
California,  Landscape,  Lens-Artists,  Nevada,  Travel galleries

Gallery: five elements (not four)

December 2, 2024 / 33 Comments

To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter… to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring – these are some of the rewards of the simple life.

John Burroughs

The Periodic Table tells us that our world is made up of 118 elements. But the elements of nature are different from chemical elements. They were used to simplify the complexity of nature and matter by ancient people. The Ancient Greeks talked of just four fundamental ones: Earth, Water, Air and Fire. Some would add Space to that list, being an absence of any of the other four. But the ancient Chinese established a slightly different set of five: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.

I owe my introduction to this Chinese philosophy of Wuxing to Sofia, who sets us the Lens Artists challenge of illustrating each of these five. Reading a little more about it I learned that while the Greeks’ four elements are concerned with form and substance, the Chinese focus is on the qualities of each element. In fact, many sources suggest that ‘element’ is an incorrect translation and that we should talk rather about ‘phases’ or ‘agents’ or ‘actions’ or … There are many suggested translations, and no one seems entirely happy with any of them! So, I am happy to stick with elements here.

Connecting the elements

These elements are all connected. Each element both controls and is controlled by another. Wood feeds Fire, Fire makes Earth, Earth creates Metal, Metal holds Water, and Water nourishes Wood. Wood roots Earth, Earth dams Water, Water extinguishes Fire, Fire melts Metal, and Metal cuts Wood. But in my search for photos to illustrate each I have tried to keep them distinct from each other. And I thought it would be fun to limit my search to our recent California and Nevada trip as that state presents the natural world in all its forms. Of course there’s a risk you’ll see these shots again as I start to post more about the various places we visited, but I hope that it’s a risk you’re happy to take!

My feature photo was taken in Death Valley on the Artists Drive. With all the galleries below, click on any single image to open a slideshow with captions if you’re curious to know more about location etc. All were taken in California unless Nevada is specified.

Wood

The famous giant redwoods offer plenty of scope for photos of wood, but I’ve tried to mix it up a bit in the selection below.

Cross section of a tree trunk
Twisted wood pieces
Tree trunk with peeling bark
Detail of a wooden container

Fire

I have no dancing flames to share, but plenty of evidence of the impact of fire. We learned how natural wildfires can be beneficial to the growth of the sequoias, by clearing out the undergrowth that would stifle their seedlings. But we also saw first-hand the impact of fires that spread out of control, devastating the landscape and destroying homes and livelihoods.

Sign warning of dangers in burned area
Blackened tree trunk
Forest and mountains with smoke
Mountains with smoke

Earth

Where better to see the wonders of the earth’s geology than in the western US states?! The canyons, arches and mesas of desert states like Utah are well known, but California also offers its fair share of such wonders, especially in national parks such as Death Valley and Lassen.

Layers of smooth rock and distant mountains
Close up of white crystals
Outcrop of jagged rock
Different coloured rocks

Metal

I’m always drawn to rusty metal in particular and found it here in both utilitarian and artistic structures.

Rusty machinery
Rusty metal sculptures of a miner and a penguin
Sculpture in rusty metal
Anvil, hammer and red hot metal spike

Water  

From the Pacific coast to the waterfalls of the Sierra Nevada there is no shortage of water to be photographed in California, despite parts of it being desert. Of course in September not all the waterfalls were flowing, and none at full spate, but I still found plenty to enjoy.

Waves breaking
Rocky stream
Edge of a lake surrounded by mountains
Narrow waterfall

I visited California and Nevada in September/October 2024

33 Comments

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