I have always had an affinity for woodland. As a child growing up on South London (U.K) council estates they were somewhat in short supply. However, I do recall wandering happily in Elmstead Woods, near Chislehurst. Those were the days when a 6 year old could safely do that, I would not recommend any child of that age do that now, sadly.
The Buddha became enlightened sitting under a Bodhi tree in Northern India. The school of Buddhism I practice is from the Thai Forest Tradition. It originated from North Eastern Thailand, a rugged, area of huge forests. I feel this connection too when I am in the woods, the experience of the silent trees, their stature in standing tall , as if it is they observing me in their domain, can be a deeply spiritual experience .
Having moved to Victoria BC in 2006, I have been blessed with the opportunity to explore woodland to my hearts content. From the very beginning of my photography adventure in October 2022, I have loved taking photographs in woodland, mostly LauWelNew Park in Central Saanich. You can see some of my early efforts here.
There are many inspirational woodland photographers on You Tube, and from time to time I will profile them in this blog. What they all have in common is stressing the challenge of composition in what can be a chaotic environment ( in terms of fallen branches, ferns etc) , and managing light. One of the things that has really piqued my interest is the invitation to see the trees as “characters’, looking at how they are grouped together, seeing their unique form, seeing if there is a “story” there. Before taking up photography I had never thought of woodland in this way, and it has opened up a beautiful new world of being in nature on a different level.
It is a mystery to me why I have never explored Francis King Park until this month. It is a mere 25 minutes by car, and has been on my “one day I’ll go there list” for years, so this month I finally got my act together and took myself there. I am so glad I did. Although it can get busy, if you choose the right area to walk, you see less people.
The following images show my fledgling attempts to be deliberately thoughtful about woodland composition. It is a park I intend to revisit often, and will be attempting some of these images again, but of course always looking out for new compositions I had not previously seen.
For this piece, my recommended You Tube woodland photographer is Courtenay Victoria who posts frequent videos. I love the way she explores her process for finding compositions, all done with a quirky but appealing sense of humour. She is not afraid of talking about the struggles one can encounter in woodland photography. This video is a lovely example of her approach to woodland photography.
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