
Photography Inspiration
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As a photographer, I am inspired by so many things. Scenes, trees, flowers, nature, paintings and photographers. And recently I have been seeing more and more images of trees and woods that have just lifted my soul.
Nature shows us so much beauty and majesty and it can be so easy to get so used to it around us and to start to not see it anymore. I believe that taking time to look and to really appreciate everything that is around us, and is free to look at, is so important. And they don’t have to be huge, likes trees or forests, either. Some of the weeds that grow through the cracks in the pavement can be so lovely and delicate. It’s all worth taking the time to look.
So, trees. Just looking up at them, particularly the really tall ones, can be so awe-inspiring. They were there before us and they will be there after we are gone. I just love them. I often wonder what it must be like to be right at the very top of a tall tree swaying the wind and basking in the sun. I guess birds must know!
A Trip to the Forest
This inspired me to find scenes where I could also take photographs to show the stunning beauty of the forest.
So, early one spring morning I went out with my camera to scout out some locations.
We are so lucky to live near a large forest. It is spread out over many acres and, although quite a few of the older trees have been harvested (trees are considered a crop here in France), there are still spots where there are older, more established trees to be seen. This forest is also left to self-seed. So it makes for some interesting scenes.
A Lucky Find
I had been looking around for about an hour and the sun was getting a higher in the sky. The original idea had been to get some early morning shots, when there is a chance of mist and a bit more atmosphere. I had been to a few places already which I had made a note of to come back to visit another day and at a better time of day. But time was marching on and the sun was not in the best place for the moody morning shots that I was looking for.
Then I remembered a spot in the forest where I often go to walk with the dogs. Isn’t it funny how sometimes the obvious things just aren’t obvious at all? I had not thought about this area while I was looking around. Just intent on finding the ‘best’ place I could. And there was a spot that had just what I wanted and I knew about it all along! Go figure…
So off I went and as I turned to face in one direction, I saw the scene in front of me. Despite it being the wrong time of day and I had not planned to come here, that shot just jumped out at me!
I took the shot handheld. I didn’t have my tripod with me as this was just a scouting mission so no need for one. Just sketch shots.
But it didn’t need a tripod. It worked well without it.
I edited it when I got back home. When one sees an image, the camera sees it differently so there is always editing to do. Sometimes it can be a lot and sometimes not so much. This time, all I needed to do was to highlight the shaft of light and deepen the shadows.