Photographing woodlands is a very popular genre of photography. It's easy to see why. Time out alone among trees can be such a pleasure, you could say mediative. The sounds and the smells; the experience grounds us, separated from the hustle and bustle of daily life. We can slip into a state of flow, fully focused. I once heard this feeling called a "state of grace", a wonderful way to describe this mindset.
Unfortunately, for myself at least, being in the flow is something I have to work hard at to achieve. Often I choose a location and my mind wanders to the prospect of conditions elsewhere. It's a source of frustration and doesn't lend itself to being completely relaxed and immersed in the act of taking the picture. As landscape photographers, we can procrastinate over the weather and the location, being indecisive, creating a noisy mind. Trying to master this mindset better, leaving the FOMO behind can be as much of a learning curve as photography itself. Woodland photography certainly lends itself to achieve this state of mind and the image here was one of those rarer occasions when everything came together.
Autumn was in full swing, my mind was not thinking of any place except this spot. I had perfect conditions and a scene that caught my attention. The landscape in front of me seemed to be sharper, the noises of the woodland clearer. A gentle breeze blowing through the canopy above, the birdsong creating a perfect sound track to this simple act of taking a picture. I spent a good hour focused on the small patch of woodland, enjoying every minute trying to piece together the elements and unlock the view. My mind was quiet and completely clear. I've found that letting the landscape find me rather than planning and worrying about trying to be in the right place at the right time has led me to create images I am happier with. It can create a fully immersed state. These times are rare, but when we can achieve this mindset the joy of photography can be much more expressive.
The images I take are a collection of memories; the experience, the sounds locked into the picture I have captured. When we find our "state of grace", looking back at the photograph can be amplified bringing back the memory as clear as the moment I was stood with the camera.
The trick is to try and remember this the next time I pack the camera for a trip out
Article for Outdoor photography magazine March 2023.
