Finding Peace in Nature Photography

Fun With Cameras XXXVII

Up goes the Squirrel. Oberhausen, Germany, September 24, 2023.

Photography calms my mind. It’s an activity that can help me reach a mental balance that only meditation can rival. I wrote about those photographic healing powers three years ago.

The other activity that has this effect on me is running.

But my body (and probably my mind) needs a bit more time to embrace that balance board called running again. While the aches and pains I wrote about in The Fix have vacated my muscles and bones, I want to be careful and reach a more relaxed general state of mind in a somewhat chaotic phase of life.

Just like my running, photography has seen disruptions this year. I didn’t have the chances to explore that I was hoping I would have. I made compromises. One example is the old friend I photographed by bike.

I had plans for today’s post. Public transport had different plans. The locations I wanted to explore will have to wait till the next post.

But I snug in three peace-finding missions in nature, nonetheless.

A Quiet Morning

I know the small park at the creek Läppkes Mühlenbach from my running. It occupies the quiet land between two busier streets, connecting the cities of Oberhausen and Essen.

I didn’t expect much. All I wanted to get out of this early morning walk was to get myself to look for pictures (and hopefully see a few).

It was not the morning nor the location to photograph beautiful sunrise vistas. The wooded park felt moody. Making a quick excursion off the path yielded the most visual minutes. All but the first two images originated in that part of the park, which most people don’t even notice.

I left the park after making that last frame below with a grin. That was nice.

Left A look at the creek Läppkes Mühlenbach. Location and date for all pictures in this section: Essen, Germany, September 20, 2023. Center Peace in the sky. Right Stepping off the path yielded more visual interest than I found on the path. Here, I looked at the ground and framed up a piece of wood on the soft mossy ground.

A tree detail.

Left Iplayed a bit with compositions for that fallen tree. Right Close-up of a tree trunk, which had a visitor below the path of moss.

A Windy Afternoon

When the train you need continues to be canceled, consider alternatives that are closer to home. Nature is much closer if we just walk about with our eyes open. That park above was within comfortable walking distance. The destination in the final section below was within walking distance, even if it’s stretching walkability a bit.

I’m lucky that I can lose myself visually in nature even closer — our family garden.

It was windy. Dark and heavy clouds signaled a decent chance of rain. The light was not prime-time material.

But it had been a while since I brought a camera to the garden. One lens and 30 minutes was all I needed to forget a day of trying to catch up with writing, the world, and life.

The images aren’t breathtaking, but that is irrelevant. I practiced, had a good time, and felt tension drop in my mind, body, and around me.

Left and center A detail image of a grass plant. Location and date for all images in this section: Oberhausen, Germany, September 23, 2023. Right Lonely red rose.

Left Purply flowers. Right Red Devil (not the name of the variety, but an apple tree can be a handful).

Thorns against a green background (out-of-focus-rendering of the plants in the background).

Left A bird-eye of one of the flower heads you can see in the image on the right. Right I tried to play with the placement of various flower heads in the fore- and background, and almost missed the small one I focussed on here.

A Surprising Park

The train disruptions continued from one day to the next, which made me consider another closer-to-home option.

I totaled 10 km (6 mi) of walking for my trip to Kaisergarten and back, including a decent lap through the park. I left the small zoo that forms the heart of the location for another day due to a busy stream of Sunday morning visitors.

But even without that experience, I enjoyed a peaceful walk surrounded by nature. I expected the ducks at the pond and that I would have ample opportunities to look for details.

What I wasn’t expecting was the squirrel. I would have almost missed the chance, but I got the settings dialed in just in time, and autofocus played ball, despite Nikon’s 105 macro lens not being all that responsive (especially my copy, which might benefit from a service one day anyway).

Now, 105 mm isn’t the best option for nature photography. Squirrels are small creatures. They are shy, fast, and often high up in trees. That’s why I did what I only very rarely do. I cropped. If my math is correct, I cropped to about a 190 mm equivalent. I added the uncropped version for comparison. Maybe you enjoy that.

Wrinkly leaves dancing in the sun. Location and time for all pictures in this section: Oberhausen, Germany, September 24, 2023.

Left A small water fountain sits in the center of the park’s pond. Right Branch on the ground.

The light falling through the tree cover created interesting spots. One of the ducks enjoyed the sun and didn’t mind my presence.

Up goes the Squirrel: original 105 mm framing (left) and cropped to about 190 mm (right).

Left A lonely tree branch rises to the sky. Right The view from the top of the park.

The light pattern drew me to this branch.

A decent first step. That’s how I would classify those walks. Here’s to more photography performed with a focus on simply trying to have some fun.

I hope to share more images next week. This week, I will hand out reading recommendations and take you on a journey about writing tools and short story progress.