Reflections of Infinity

My name is Robert E. Alter and Reflections of Infinity, LLC is my company. The main focus of my photographs and fractal art is overlooked wonders. I find those wonders in the physical reality of the universe and in the mathematical reality of fractals. Those two realities are closely related.

Many things have influenced my life and contributed to my world view and my art. Photography was always part of family life and my interest in it developed naturally, but I have never studied it. I was born in the United States and lived in many parts of the U.S. My family moved to India when I was nine and we lived there for five years. I have been around the world and visited many interesting places. I earned a degree in the Arts & Sciences of Mathematics and then worked as a computer professional. All these things compliment each other in my photography and fractal art. My first interest in photography showed itself in college and I always took lots of pictures. Then, when I was living in the Rocky Mountains, with so much natural beauty, I began thinking about it seriously. Then came the butterflies and hummingbirds in the garden and digital photography. All this, combined with my background in computers and mathematics, made digital photography and fractal art natural choices. My interests include nature, travel, India, science, science fiction, philosophy, psychology, history, mathematics, computers, and, of course, art.

The range of my photography is from the unusual, like the natural and human made wonders of the world, to the overlooked beauty in ordinary things. Many of my photos are of one-of-a-kind moments, only seen by me. Sometimes a photograph is simply a record of something seen, but even then it can enrich someone's life when it is shared. Sometimes the choice of subject and composition can give a glimpse of something more. And I have discovered, especially with butterflies and hummingbirds, that a photograph can reveal the beauty of a moment that passed too quickly, or reveal details that were too small, to be noticed by the conscious mind. I have travelled and photographed many places, but now my photography is mostly done in my yard: butterflies, birds, flowers, and other 'wonders'. I do not enhance my photos; they are what I saw. They awaken me to a higher consciousness, and I hope to share some of that experience with you.

When I'm taking photographs of butterflies and hummingbirds, I feel a sense of wonder, joy, unity with nature, and peace. Whether in remote natural areas, or in my own yard at home in Kettering Ohio, this connection with the environment is a healing activity in a world that mostly exploits nature in a destructive way. Sharing my photos is a way to help remind a world that often forgets that such natural wonders exist, that even with all the destruction of nature there is still beauty and wonder around us. In spite of us, and often overlooked, a peaceful earth is working all around us, to heal itself and to heal us.

I create my fractal images using Free and Open Source Software. Fractals are fascinating and beautiful and have much in common with nature. Fractal Art is based on mathematics, is similar to photography in many ways, and is related to nature.

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