William Lesch: Desert Photographer

Everyone always appreciates the beauty of plants when they’re at the peak of their life, but it’s rare that you find people who strive to capture the end of that lifespan. 

Being in the Arizona deserts, photographer William Lesch sees so much of the decay of these cactus species, and strives to highlight those moments, as they are as much a part of the environment as the cactus in bloom are.

“Coming out here, one of the first things I noticed walking in the desert was, you know, when a cactus dies, when a saguaro dies, you sort of see their decaying remains all around. It's part of the desert when you walk out there.”

William’s philosophy is that the best way to learn about plants is to take time to walk amongst them, taking in all that they have to offer, from life through death. 

“If we really want to learn about living in the desert, you come out and you walk among the plants and you talk to them basically. Or listen more like. Our job is not to talk. Our job is to listen.”

Find more of William’s works on his website.

A film by Peter Fuhrman.