I finally went out out.
I judged a camera club competition recently and doing so made me realise that I’d been neglecting two of the things which I find relaxing… being outdoors amongst nature and photography.
My friend, John and I got talking about woodland walks and he mentioned some bluebells in the local woods.
Despite having had only 1 dose of vaccine, I figured the risk to myself and others was low enough for me to venture out with the camera, looking for these bluebells.
I’ve looked for bluebells before but this location was incredible in comparison. I could stand in the middle of the woods (sticking to the paths of course) and make out the purple(blue?) colour as far as my eye could see through the trees.
I stood for 15 minutes in one spot, just listening to the sounds of the wood and waiting for a shaft or two of sunlight to pierce the canopy. After 15 minutes I got impatient and figured I’d simply scout out a best viewpoint.
My feet were aching a bit so I thought about heading home. It was at that moment the clouds started to break up and glimpses of sunlight started to reach the grass and flowers. I knew it wouldn’t last long so I found a decent position close by where I could photograph the shafts of light on the ground. I picked my spot precisely so that the sun was obscured by a tree but the tree wasn’t too dominant in the picture.
Aiming my camera down to keep as much bright sky out of my image as possible, I incorporated the orange and browns of the leaf litter and fallen branches on the woodland floor.
Bluebells don’t last for long and the unseasonably wet, overcast weather has stopped me returning to the woods so far but I’m pleased I finally ventured out of the house.
Let’s hope I get my 2nd vaccine soon (12 weeks are up next week) and I can be more confident that going out won’t affect anyone.
