Mastering Awareness in Landscape/Woodland Photography
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2024
- Woodland photography has a reputation for being challenging. Enjoyment of it is about the easiest thing I know, but what I'd class as good woodland photographs are infrequent enough to make the endeavour satisfyingly challenging and the rewards keep you yearning for more.
One thing that draws me back to our native woodlands time and time again is their power to transport you to a different physical and mental space. My personal experience is a feeling of child-like wonder and being engrossed with curiosity. My aperture of awareness widens. Why is that? I talk about my own experience and analysis of it in this episode, which will hopefully inspire you to look at things a little differently.
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Lovely video Simon. I remember being that kid, but now I am 75, and I find I still thrill to be in nature and immerse myself in its sounds and ever changing scenes. I manage to take a few decent photos every now and then, but just being out and about in the natural world is a bonus even if I don’t take a single shot.
Couldn't agree more Peter! I lost my phone in the woods on Saturday but what a great excuse to go back again yesterday. We soon found my phone but then took the opportunity to just wander and admire the trees - wonderful :) Many thanks!
I’m 76 and I still spend countless hours 😊in the forest with or without my camera … and I’m still a kid! I started my photography when I was 14 years old (Yashica twin lens reflex and 120 roll film, 12 exposures per roll), SLR a few years later and digital in 1999 and I still love it! Remember, “Always be yourself … unless you can be a photographer … then always be a photographer”
Again you amaze with your overall production, your creative, conscious photography, and your inspiring verbal engagement. So well done. You lift us up!
Thank you very much indeed :)
Simon, I loved your awareness analogy to aperture and including your dog, sitting off to your side - observing what’s in front of her, demonstrates your point perfectly. ❤
This has to go into my top 5 videos of yours, even though choosing from your library would be very difficult to do. I too live within 300m of a large expanse of woodland, Ancient woodland, and commercial plantations. As you were, getting home to be outside enjoying them was a big thing in my life. Also family who inspired me to enjoy moments with nature. A love of photography helped, but didn't really take off until the digital era. Thanks again for another wonderful video.
So pleased to hear you enjoyed this one Ian. As I said in a recent post, my favourite videos never gain traction which has proved to be the case again here. However, the key thing is that my loyal subscribers continue to enjoy the videos :)
Can definitely relate to your inspiring story. I too spent the 90's building dens and riding my bike to explore my local woodland and nature reserve. I was also going fishing very regularly with my Dad and school friends, still remember the day coming home from school one day and asking my Dad if we can go fishing. The early mornings and the peacefulness of being in nature still resonates in my woodland photography today and certainly feel like I'm improving with "seeing" the surroundings and the supporting elements to the scene in front of me.
Great to hear that you've experienced something similar Andy. Many thanks.
Wow, I'm not alone in my multiple personality approach to photography! As I see it there are three versions of myself that makes my woodland photography so enjoyable. The 8-9 yo kid that still looks at the world as a magical place filled with cool stuff. When the kid has found something cool the artist comes along and tries to makes sense of it, and frame up the scene. If he manages this task it's time for the technician to turn all the knobs and levers and then press the shutter. Sadly all of the versions has a really poor sense of direction so I get lost a lot... Which makes my woodland experience even more unpredictable and satisfying. Thank you Simon for another inspiring video!
Thank you very much for your thoughts! Yes, a variety of skills come into play but I guess the key is which one we give the most weight too :)
Always waiting for the next video and again not a let down at all. As you tube becomes saturated with photographers ( which can only be a good thing for fanatics) Simon still continues to grow and create interesting episodes. I know that excitement of finding a new Woodland or any new location for that matter and it can only come from our child like part of us. I think we are all just children that have grown old on the outside but the inside still lights up when we go on an adventure.
Thanks Simon
Thank you very much as always Mark. Glad you enjoyed this one 😊
Lovely reflective and creative video, Simon, and with the adorable playful Meg! Finally ordered some of your books (you can package Meg separately😊). Just love woodland images and your photos bring back memories of times in the UK and Europe. Gorgeous!🇦🇺
Haha! Thank you very much for your order - they're on their way :)
Nice video. I grew up on vast military heathland fascinated by insects and unusual plants... as I grew up i could never leave it, so I built my career around plants and insects,accepting I'd be financially very poor bit emotionally the richest man alive. I'm now retired as a lecturer in tree anatomy, physiology and ecology and revel in how they all fit together into one 😊
Thank your for your videos which often awake our mindset it always worth to listen & watch your stories, the majority of UA-cam photographers says always the same thing, tips, camera equipment… and your talking with your soul I never miss your videos which are rare but still fulfilling sorry for my English I’m French guy
Many thanks for your kind words. Great to hear that you enjoy all my videos :)
Found you via Thomas Heaton, and his tethered video with Nick Carver. Your video had me reminiscing on my own childhood woodland adventures and how those memories translated into my own photography inclinations.
when l stopped fishing for carp and started hunting them Simon my catch rate increased as did the size of carp and when l stopped chasing photos my keepers increased:)
Captivating and thought provoking. So much so that I watched it twice.
Man thanks Mark! Hope you are keeping well!
Thought provoking philosophising Simon. Well done and thankyou.
Many thanks :-)
Well said Simon, I was born in 1947 and spent my childhood in the forest where imagination ran wild, no computers or internet, not even TV and contrary to my parents hopes, I am glad to say “I never grew up” … also, congratulations on being sponsored by Elements magazine, a truly top notch publication!
Many thanks Larry. Glad you found it relatable :-)
Really enjoyed this video. It enabled my thinking and perceptions to be contextualised.
Thank you John :)
Lovely, articulate thoughts that reminded me so much of my childhood and why I feel so at home out in nature. Thank you. And, oh my, sweet Meg!
Thank you very much :)
Just love that daft dog!…the best companions..❤
Very nice and true video thanks. I made the same experience in childhood, but in my time in midden school we had 1 day were the teacher shown us pocket calculators. 😳, no computer
There were only one , later two television channels and a lot of family did not had a television set and if it was black and white.
It was clear we spent the time in the woods and surrounding landscape. At home we had chickens, Guse , cats, dog, ducks and …. This living close and in nature have been the base for my rekation to nature, same as for you. Regards
Thank you for this Simon. I followed a link from Tom Heaton to this and so glad I did. What you have spoke about helped me to identify with so much of what I felt was different with my walking with a camera from times past, but not sure why. I can now understand a little more of what in myself I have seen as a change in how I walk in nature's space and how I capture a moment encountered. And possibly why it is with a difference, that is see things present that in the past I know were lost in unawareness Thank you for your insights.
Beautiful video Simon. You describe it so well, a childhood roaming through the forests. No cell phones then, no computers, and the only video game around was Pong! 😂
Our camera club is about to a "walkabout" (what I call it) just walking a trail in the park and stopping where we feel like stopping, photographing what looks good to us. Looking forward to it.
You are spot on with your thoughts and comments!
As I grow older, I treasure the 22-year-old in me. I find it exhilirating to be out and about and experiencing a new start of the day. I'm not a woodland photographer but I tend to sunrise, I love that moment of the day, the promise of a new day, and nature feeling kind of vulnerable in the morning light. As long as I can enjoy this, the 22-year-old in me will remain alive. I really enjoyed your video, your theory and examples resonated with me, you made me smile. Thank you 🙂
Such creative words, Simon: shining a light, well balanced, awareness aperture, as you celebrate the wonders of our natural environment. Thank you.
A wonderful message Simon. We often get so tied up with work and domestic affairs. Definitely we all need to take time out and breath, let our creativity come through. It’s good for the soul ✌️😌
As per usual, an excellent video Simon! Love it!
Thank you very much :-)
Really enjoyed hearing the personal story and background that led to the narrator's love and approach to nature photography. The spotlight vs lantern consciousness concept was fascinating - having that more open, receptive mindset seems key to truly see all the details and magic around you in the woods.
I love the IT remeniscences., I also love how chilled out your dog is to your persona.
Glad to see you and Meg. As you were walking around I was going crazy looking at compositions. That can be a very interesting lesson in it's self. Thank you, and as always keep the videos coming
Great video Simon. I know no other photographer who make trees look so real in a photo. Simon you were one of my first Vloggers I ever watched on UA-cam and continue to still do. Your woodland photography is second to non keep up your awesome work. Plus I’m a big follower of Rachel’s works to her seascapes are awesome. Thank you.
We had the same childhood... me a few years ahead of you. It was a great time that kids these day (my son included) just won't know. So well said Simon... I think people who are generally unaware don't know they are unaware.
I’d love to hear more about some of your fantastical influences on your work in a video, I know you have mentioned Tolkien in the past and I think it would be a valuable video about how things outside of photography can (and always do) influence how we see and feel things in the world as image makers.
Hi Simon I've just got round to watching this video. How helpful and it's further added to my realisation of the importance of experience of and immersion in the environment around us being the provocation of creativity. As a fellow former angler who for years chased elusive monster carp (with occasional success 39lbs being the biggest) I too realised quite quickly the experience of dawns and dusk, watching a barn owl quarter a field in the early morning light and just observing the beauty of water and woodland was reward itself. I've translated this into my photography and with your help this week feel I've taken a significant step forward. Piscator non solum piscatur.
Another very inspiring talk and beautiful scenery. Thank you!!! Loved seeing Meg!!!
Wonderful video... and Meg is priceless.
I found it funny that another landscape photographer's video (they shall remain nameless 😀) popped up in my subscriptions minutes before your video dropped. That photographer said that dogs follow him around and ruin his shots. I turned to my partner and mentioned that Simon would just include Meg in the photograph. No sooner had I said that when the video ended, and then I noticed that your video was available. Ha!
Best to you and Meg.
Many thanks! Glad you enjoyed it and Meg. She was so well behaved just sitting there patiently and as soon as we moved she had the time of her life 😀
@@SimonBaxterPhotography Meg helps with the adventure, and why you were able to get back out into the countryside.
@@IanElson28 absolutely. Goes without saying 😀
Thank you Simon for sharing and articulating those thoughts so very well. I appreciate your extensive work & in admire your skill & sensitivity 👍🏻🇦🇺👏🏻
Great video, thanks Simon
Thank you for sharing this video. Composition is a skill that is learned and developed over time. If you don't like your photography skills in this area learn to enjoy the topic. It takes desire, practice, and enjoyment. Just get out there and enjoy the trip.
Thank you. Delightful!
This is a wonderful video, Simon. Thank you! I remember being a kid as well, and enjoying nature back then already. In a different way and in a different way of understanding than I do now obviously, but I feel that my love for nature and also details in nature already started back then. Just by being outdoors so often, playing outside and being outside with my pony back then as well. Now I enjoy being outside probably even more than back then as I see all the details in nature. I love being out with my camera, and also with my horse. Of course because I just love being with my horse, he is my best friend. But also because I love being out in nature, after a while of this horrible weather we've had here in the Netherlands I was so excited to take him out for a trail ride last Saturday and I was so excited to see the first signs of spring already. I can see the point as well with the spotlight perception and the lantern perception. Though I feel like sometimes I have a bit of both, if that is possible at all. It depends on what I do and on my state of mind, but sometimes I can really zone in on one thing and stay in that state of mind, doing that thing and nothing else, which can be very satisfying at times. But especially with photography, I try to have more of the lantern perspective, observing everything around me and enjoying it all. But also then it does depend on my state of mind. Very interesting video, thank you once again!
I agree, third party would be nice. I’d welcome the chance to vote as long as it was a viable candidate.
Yes, best advice is to slow down and listen to your surroundings surrounding surroundings Conversation. If there is a composition there, it will talk to you (in your mind). There is always the macro world at your feet.
That dog looks so happy.
lovely video Simon
Thank you for sharing your video Simon very well explained especially the way you used the lights for an example. I think my problem is I tend to focus on to much styles of photography instead of choosing one style but nature and landscape are definitely my favourite
The types of awareness you speak of, perhaps it is similar to barbara oakley's Focused and Diffused ways of thinking
Your experiences very similar to mine ... must by an archetype we can learn from.
I love your videos and they inspire me in my desire to get back into something I love, my biggest question since I no longer have camera gear is what drove your decision to go with Sony Over Nikon or canon gear. I am looking at all 3 but have never shot with Sony but have with Canon and Nikon. But I also notice a large number of Pro's are using Sony hoping maybe I can get some input from you or others who follow you that shoot with Sony and why .
While you explain what does it mean to have awareness into the woods your dog is doing a practical example in the back 3:52
For me it's odd. I'm patient enough that I could sit in the same spot waiting for something for quite a while. I've laid on the ground with my hand out holding nuts or seeds long enough for squirrels and birds to get used to me and come grab a snack. But when I'm out with my camera I am impatient. As if I'm being timed even though I'm not. I have to constantly battle that. So I fail to fully assess the area I'm standing in. Have to force myself to slow down and breathe. A teacher once told me to take eight pictures of the same subject from different angles. I never do that even though it's in the back of my mind.
Cheers Simon, it’s Sean from Atlanta! This was a wonderful story and a useful life lesson! Your video submissions are always appreciated and a real treat for me! I love seeing the woodlands of England through your eyes and I am always envious of the majesty and beauty of the trees that I love so much!
I will check out this publication you recommend and I always look forward to watching and rewatching every video, especially your early videos with the “families” of trees that are my favourites!
I hope all is well with you and your two family members, Adele and Meg! Take care and thanks for another wonderful video!
Sean
Many thanks as always for your kind words Sean 😊
Can definitely relate to your inspiring story. I too spent the 90's building dens and riding my bike to explore my local woodland and nature reserve. I was also going fishing very regularly with my Dad and school friends, still remember the day coming home from school one day and asking my Dad if we can go fishing. The early mornings and the peacefulness of being in nature still resonates in my woodland photography today and certainly feel like I'm improving with "seeing" the surroundings and the supporting elements to the scene in front of me.