A frequent contributor to Arizona Highways will see her breathtaking nature photography exhibited at Arizona's best-known arboretum next month.
Eirini Pajak's macro photography will be on display all November at the gallery at Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park's visitors center. The arboretum, near Superior, is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily in November. Admission is $12.50 for adults and $5 for ages 5 to 12.
"I studied photography in school, but I gave it up almost as soon as I graduated," Pajak told the arboretum. "Instead I devoted most of my spare time to learning about the natural world around me. I moved around quite a bit growing up, so knowing the land and living creatures around where I live makes me feel more rooted.
"When I moved from California to Arizona, one of the first things I did was obtain several nature field guides specific to this state. Once I set photography aside, it wasn’t until over a decade later that I picked up a camera again. One day, a monk from St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery in Florence, Arizona, suggested that I begin photographing wildflowers. He specifically emphasized that I should not overlook even the tiniest of flowers.
"Since then, I have been drawn especially to making close-up photographs of beautiful but often overlooked aspects of nature."
Pajak's photographs are also on display in an upcoming Arizona Highways book, set to be released in early 2019.
To learn more about the photographer, visit her website.