I’ve spoken about the wood I walk in before, you’ll have to look back through my posts, if you haven’t done so already, to see and read a little more - the beginnings of my explanation about the wood I walk and shoot in.
Today, whilst we walk, I’m going to talk a little about “seeing”, in this case looking down. How many times do we just look ahead and perhaps to the left and right as we walk? I found myself initially doing so when out walking, however, it didn’t take long for me to see that by looking all around, my environment was a far more fascinating place.
The wood, as I mentioned previously, didn’t initially seem a likely place (to me) to take interesting photographs, but there are plenty of opportunities there as I quickly found out – and I’m still doing so! I soon started finding intriguing things around my feet, along the footpaths I walk and sometimes off the beaten track. I was soon looking for compelling subjects to shoot and they were there, all around me, just waiting to be discovered and shot. So, I started.
All manner of things presented themselves and I began planning what I was going to arm myself with when I went out each morning, or afternoon, as some of my vintage lenses could really make an impact on the subjects I was photographing. The weather, seasons, time of day and light also played their parts too.
Water was an obvious subject, after rain, not just light and reflections, but also the marvelous patterns it makes as it cut through the soil and footpaths. I looked for interesting ways to photograph and present the images through my post editing and I don’t mean manipulation, but the presentation of the images, through triptychs and mini projects… a great way to improve and expand your ideas and photography.
There were little surprises along the way too…a “downed” flyer…a dragonfly lying dead on one of the trails, I wonder how many people saw him. A sleeping snake I came across, off the trail, whilst I was shooting mushrooms – I was so stealthy and silent, he never woke and I was able to shoot inches above him. Grasses, exposed tree roots, silhouettes, a pugmark of a coyote in the mud. Someone having a nap.
I shot the odd interesting leaf – there were plenty, it’s a wood after all! And here was the beginning of another mini project – “Leaf me Alone”. I began shooting individual leaves, usually as I found them lying on the trails. I can’t really remember how it started, just that one day it dawned on me, it would make an attractive series of images. I had so many, it was a tough time picking through my photos and choosing twelve for the gallery page – not a terrible situation to be in when you have more than enough to choose from. I’m still adding to the collection!
See the images here...Leaf me Alone
Thank you for taking a short walk with me, looking down at the wood floor and the myriad of things you’ll find there. I hope you enjoyed it.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention...remember to look up!