Solitude, a bit of a cold nip in the air, and a place where I thought a troll might be hiding in an animal’s den. Despite my visit here being some time ago, I remember the feelings in coming upon this scene. It looked like some mystical place out of Lord of the Rings where magical creatures lurked about.
In contrast to my memory of the feelings of being here, I have absolutely no idea of the specifics on where this location is at. I know it is somewhere around St. Ignace in Michigan, or maybe it was outside of Mackinac City, maybe somewhere off Highway 2.
Regardless, these are my favorite types of forests in Michigan, albeit in seasons where bug activity is low. These forests just have a presence about them where you feel the energy of life flowing through them, within the soil to the canopy. They are great places to search for Dwarf Lake Iris (Michigan’s State Flower), which is a detail I do remember looking for in this area. It’s one of those places where you can imagine if you died right here, you would be quickly be absorbed into the forest and life around you.
Remembering those feelings helped in my development of this photograph. There are a lot of elements to take note of. I wanted to retain that magical feeling of this nameless place. It took me awhile to arrive at a stopping point, but for now I am content that it matches my memories, at least the emotional ones.
The image captures the magical energy of the place, lovely warm colors and soft light.
Love the picture, Mark. It does have a bit of a fantasy feel to it!
My first thought, to be honest, was: Holy Mackerel! That place must be loaded with mosquitoes! 😀 I don’t do forests in the summer, or walking paths for that matter. Those mosquitoes just give me a bit too much bug lovin’ for my tolerance! Also, like Earl, I thought: A cold nip in the air? Was he high up in The Rockies or somethin’?
If I want to “remember” a location, perhaps for a visit in another season, I take a quick photo of it with my phone and then I have the coordinates and that can get my pretty close, for the next round.
Haha! You can be sure that if there were that many mosquitoes, I would likely not be there. Even if I have enough spray on to keep them from biting, I don’t like them swarming my face, hands, etc.
I am trying to be more disciplined in making note of generic locations, like with my phone as you suggested. I tend to wander a lot, visit s lot of “generic” spots.
Thanks a lot for your comments Paul.
Yeah. I’m with you on that! I think that what bothers me the most is the buzzing in the ears. I find it quite annoying and I have to get away from it! Also, I don’t always to the phone thing, especially if I’m meandering around, looking for a shot. Then, that one “location” photo that I took make be several hundred yards off :D, maybe a few square miles! LOL
Well said, “These forests just have a presence about them where you feel the energy of life flowing through them, within the soil to the canopy.” Nature does that when we are present and aware. Also makes for a great photographer! Love the image!
Thanks Monte
This photo is magical~I can readily imagine the life force you describe there.
I knew and enjoy visiting your website, but somehow didn’t know you had a blog!
I appreciate the kind words Melissa and thank you for subscribing!
It IS very magical looking, and I very much like your written description of the place too. May you visit again! One way or another….
Thanks Lynn – I’d love to go back someday if I ever remember where it was. 🙂
This is a beautiful photograph. I love places such as this one. You’re quite right. They do have a strong presence to them. They make me feel very small yet truly accepted. Wonderfully shared! Thank you ?
Thanks so much Suzanne!
Haha, when I started reading that first sentence “…a bit of a cold nip in the air…” my initial thought was where the heck did he recently travel to for a “cold nip in the air,” certainly not the eastern US. But now that my head’s back on straight…it’s a beautiful scene. It’s reminiscent of some scenes you might also find in the Smokey Mountains NP not far from here. It does, as you described, have a J. R. R. Tolkien or perhaps a Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales feel to it. Nice job in preserving the magic, Mark.
Lol! Yeah, this was in May 2010 in Northern Michigan. I haven’t been able to get out much lately. So in some rare free moments I am just going through a lot of older work. I agree, some of the mossy woods in the Smokies are similar. Thanks a lot Earl.
Beautiful photo and I love the interplay of the reds and the greens.
It’s funny about making photos….if I look at a photo I took I remember quite a bit about what it was like being there. Far more than if I had just walked through. Like you say, I may not remember exactly where it was (I guess that’s what GPS marking will help our old brains with) but I always remember what it was like to be there, who I was shooting with etc. Really pulls you back when you look at old photos like that.
Maybe it will come back to me on where this was. There are a few different locations that have the same date – but I’m not sure of those either. 🙂 I used to think I had a pretty good memory of all of my photos were made. These days not so much. I try to keyword at least the location now as soon as I download them, but I wasn’t so disciplined early on. Thanks for your comments Howard.