Hi Steemians,
Today I come back with another blog where I venture out to some nature in aid of regrouping my thoughts and charging up my soul. As I was driving with no specific location in mind, I turned to the entrance of the forest and despite the cold, January winter air- the whole scene looked like it was blooming as if it was springtime.
Apart from the intense cold, the sun kept poking out from the clouds occasionally, intensifying the greens of pine trees and forest moss. Winter is my least favourite season, the only aspect of it which excites me is snowy landscapes. The crunch of the snow beneath your feet, the cold crisp air, the icicles hanging down from some of the trees, the glistening of everything when the sun shines. It’s truly magical. But, upon moving to UK, I experienced another type of winter, it’s the cold and rainy winter where everything is always grey. No snow, just mud. Wind and rain pulling on the branches of skeletons of trees, in comparison to them being covered by a fluffy blanket of snow.
The lack of snow really got to me this year, maybe because I was spoilt the last few years with some generous amounts of snow here in UK. And while everyone else seemed to panic I was ecstatic and outside playing with the snow and admiring truly wintery views.
The UK weather doesn’t really care about seasons. In fact, the one constant of grey, wind and rain seems to be present throughout the year no matter of the season. But there are days where the weather is beautiful. Today was that day. And though it didn’t comply with the general winter weather… I enjoyed the rays of sunshine peaking through and the sights resembling spring… resembling life.
I walked through the path and was met with the richness of green colour in all different shades. Some of the trees seemed haunted with the moss hanging from the branches, as I was engulfed by the forest depths the nature was becoming more wild, some trees fallen over, the branches twisted in all directions against rich green canvas. I wanted to loose myself in the forest depths and just stay there.
But soon enough I emerged from the depths into an opening, with the edge of the forest behind me, I admired the magical welsh hills before me, kissed by rays of sunshine. The rays of sun created a contrast between the bare trees and hazy hills in the background. It gave the pine trees and the sky more depth and colour. The whole scene looked like an orchestrated masterpiece, though it was just a little bit of sun that created this whole magic.
I sat on the bench for a while, just admiring the views before me. Mesmerised by the travelling light, as it moved along, highlighting different aspects of the scenery I didn’t notice before. It got me thinking deep about how this was just a moment. A moment in an ever-changing scenery. And how as photographer I am a chaser of those special yet fleeting moments. Captured by the camera making them last a lifetime. Spreading the joy of the scenery to others, showing the magical beauty of the world.
That’s the reason I also limit editing on my photos. I see influencers and photographers heavily edit their shots, adding a sunny sky, cutting elements out of images, changing the scenery so that it looks flawless which is then praised by the viewers who have little knowledge of how fabricated that image is. Creating false expectations and a lot of dissatisfaction. It’s not a travel photo anymore, it becomes a graphic illustration or digital collage.
I’m against that, I don’t think the natural beauty of world needs it. I love to highlight the beauty that is there, not to fabricate my own.
Some days the weather will not be perfect, the lighting might be bad, but it’s not just about the whole scene- it’s also the little details, a flower, the patterns of the tree branches, a little bird singing on the tree. All of that plays an important role in highlighting the true beauty of the place. Then you have days like this, where the world lights the scenery in a way to show you the grand beauty of the place with such ease.
I honestly don’t have an idea where I was going with this thinking, and I don’t often post my own deep thoughts as there’s so much to talk about the scenery itself… instead of what’s going on in my messy brain hehe
But I thought this little thought was worth sharing, as it gives you guys more insight into my photography work and hopefully some motivation to get out there, into the nature and appreciate places in all their raw beauty- down to the little magical details.
After my legs starting going numb due to cold air, I got up from the bench and headed back into a path. The clouds started covering the sky casting more haze and creating deeper shadows around me. And I picked up the place to warm up my frozen limbs but also because it was getting quite late.
I was met by more beautiful views along the way, the forest and deep greens around me, I had to fight the urge to go into the forest depths again. And that was that, I got in the car with my mind and body revitalised and the deep appreciation for all the views I witnessed on this walk.
As I was driving back the moon made a small appearance though I was in a rush as the day was fleeing… so my rushed capture doesn’t fully give justice to the beauty I witnessed of it.
I hope you guys enjoyed this blog!