Svjetlana Tepavcevic’s Fascinating Photos of Seedpods

KOELREUTERIA ELEGANS Chinese rain tree

While taking a hike one day, it was Sarajevo born, Washington DC-based photographer Svjetlana Tepavcevic’s childlike curiosity that provoked her to bend down and pick up her first seedpod, Marah Macrocarpus (Wild Cucumber). The oddity of it interested her enough to scan it, and little did she know that this would lead her to becoming somewhat of an expert on the life cycle of seedpods. Using the scanner as a tool of image making in her series Means of Reproduction, she has been able to discover the intricacies of how various seedpods harbor, protect, and eventually release their plant’s offspring.

Fascinated with the details of nature, Tepavcevic’s art is an interpretation of her allure, so once she understood the nature of seedpods and the beauty of the detail within them, the purpose of her hikes became more than exercise and a breath of fresh air. She often travels to Los Angeles and has discovered that due to globalization and international exchange, the streets of LA are fertile with non-native seedpods—and while likely harmful to California’s indigenous species, they offer a plethora of exotic specimens for Tepavcevic’s collection.

MYRISTICA FRAGRANS Nutmeg with mace

AILANTHUS ALTISSIMA Tree of heaven

PERSEA AMERICANA Mexican avocado

MAGNOLIA GRANDIFLORA Magnolia tree

SEQUOIADENDRON GIGANTEUM Giant sequoia tree Part 1 of diptych

SEQUOIADENDRON GIGANTEUM Giant sequoia tree Part 2 of diptych

ROSA CALIFORNICA Wild rose

PLATANUS OCCIDENTALIS American sycamore

MARAH MACROCARPUS Wild cucumber

LEUCADENDRON GALPINII Silver balls

This post was contributed by photographer Tom M. Johnson.

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