About Bo

Bo Mackison

My grandmother gave me a Brownie camera when I was eight years old, and then she proudly showed my photographs of her flowers to her Garden Society. The feeling of joy I felt then as I captured images for others to enjoy is what still drives my passion for photography today.

My childhood fascination with my camera evolved into painting, drawing and writing as a teen and young adult. While in college, my instructors encouraged me to pursue a writing career, but I was already on track to receive my degree in physical therapy from Northwestern University. As was typical in the 1970s, art was fine as a hobby, but I was encouraged to have a practical career.

I moved to Wisconsin, raised a family, and, on impulse borrowed a Pentax K-1000 SLR to enroll in my first photography course. I then attended both Madison Area Technical College and Edgewood University, where I took art and photography classes.

In 2007, when my husband gave me a digital SLR camera,  My world view shifted as I saw the infinite possibilities of life seen through a camera lens without the financial and darkroom considerations to keep in check—possibilities to document the natural world, architecture, history.  And the opportunity to create.

“Even the smallest of details became intensely interesting. Maybe that’s why I love photography. I try to capture what I see, my own interpretation, not necessarily what someone else might see.”

I started the Seeded Earth blog in October of 2007, and was soon struck by the power of the digital world. The blog resulted in widening the scope of my knowledge and learning.

Though I shoot in many genres, I love photographing the natural world most. Nature grounds me. I can be myself when I am in the forest, the mountains, the desert, the prairie. There, in solitude with the natural world, and with no expectations from anyone else, I fully become myself. When I feel grounded with the earth, I feel strong connections to the world. And I am compelled to photograph and share this world with others.

After my blog exposure, I became a contributor to Wisconsin Native, writing and photographing for both the Wandering Wisconsin and Travel Green features on the online travel website through 2008.  My photography was also featured in a book on Functional Architecture (2009) and in regional and national architectural magazines and national travel guides.

I take Seeded Earth gallery on the road throughout the year, exhibiting my photography on the art festival circuit. Much of my photography is taken in her home state of Wisconsin, in the US Southwest, and in National Parks.

I do art fairs in the Upper Midwest (Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa) during the summer and autumn seasons, and exhibit in Arizona (Tucson and Phoenix areas) from mid-January through April.

I am the owner and photographer of my own business, Seeded Earth Photography, LLC.

You can visit my web gallery at Seeded Earth Studios LLC .

Feel free to contact me with questions or comments at bomackison@gmail.com.