Margaret Ziede

Margaret Ziede, who did not pursue art as a career after earning her fine arts degree, is rediscovering her artistic side.

Her teacher and mentor, Jack Wild, has challenged her to learn to see the world through the eyes as a fine art photographer, she said, and he’s encouraged her to slow down and think things through.

Lush Waterfall, 18 by 24 inches, $180

“All of this thinking has made me want to understand why I find some images to be so memorable,” she said.

“There are those elusive moments when all the elements of a scene come together in a way that time seems to stand still.”

Sometimes light, color, form and mood captures the subject and provoke the beholder to seek its deeper meaning and value.

The Water Garden, 18 by 24 inches, $180

“Those images, regardless of how important or common they are, stay with us and become a part of our life’s experience,” she said. “Nostalgia for the past, hope for the future and a profound sense of now, can all be represented in the same still photograph. That is the real power of photography.”

Blue Horizon, 18 by 24 inches, $180

In her exhibit, at the Spanish River Library in Boca Raton, she shares her observations, although she’s not sure she, herself, will ever fully understand them. She is compelled though, to continue to explore the world through through camera’s lens.

Does one of Ziede’s observations remind you of one of your own? Or are her images a reminder to slow down and enjoy and contemplate moments of our own lifescapes?

Graceful, 18 by 24 inches, $180

Eighteen of Ziede’s photographs reflecting themes for which she feels strong connections — “New York Nostalgia,” “In the Garden” and “Natural Abstractions” — are on display through June 29. The Spanish River Library is at 1501 Spanish River Blvd., Boca Raton. Library hours are: Monday – Thursday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; and Sunday, noon – 6 p.m. For information, visit Ziede’s Web site.