If you don't live in Finland, you might think that the winters here are snow-filled and beautiful, the low-hanging sun bathing everything in a wonderful glow. Well, it can be. But where I live, the truth is that winter can suck. Especially in November an December, when the days are getting short and the rain starts pelting down. It's quite typical not to see the sun for weeks on end. The sun rises at 9:30 and sets at 15:30, and when it's overcast it never gets very bright even mid day.
All of that gloom usually has a definitive effect on my mood, that sometimes can be helped with some short trips out to the cabin, and sometimes not. This year was one of those sucky years where I felt miserable the whole time. I actually had to resort to more food photography! More on that later.
As many other photographers, I've been watching a lot of YouTube, hoping a few of my favorites would have some inspiring words. What I got instead, was beautiful, snow and ice-filled woodland and landscapes.. from the UK. If you want to take a look yourself, here's an example from Simon Baxter, who does some beautiful, low-key woodland photography. All in all, I had been waiting for good weather for a few months already. And then, a week after new years, it finally happened. Sun! Cold! Snow!
Instead of going to my normal places, I decided to go to Kurjenrahka National Park just north of Turku where I live. The reason was twofold; firstly, I had never been there and wanted to check it out, and secondly, I was pretty sure there wouldn't be that many people around. After a short drive I found the parking lot, and swung on my backpack. Almost immediately, I found my first composition.
What drew me to the sight was, well, firstly, I literally walked into it. I was about 50 meters from the parking lot (I could still see my car), but a picture is a picture, so who cares as long as the car isn't in the shot :) Secondly, I liked how the strong tree on the left is contrasted by the thinner, fallen one, and the even thinner felled one. And third, I was super lucky and the sun slightly lit up the trees behind my main subjects, creating nice contrast (in the center of the frame). The path (although you can't really see it in the photo) goes from the bottom off to the right, sidestepping some heaped logs.
One thing I was very strict with this particular day; I always had my camera packed, without a lens on. I also had my tripod with me, and was adamant of using it every single shot. Why? It slows you down. It allowed me to just walk through the forest, looking at nature and enjoying myself. Every now and then something caught my eye; those are the potential photographs. At that point I'd look closer, trying to figure out why I liked it. Many times it wasn't anything worth of a photo, so I left my camera in the bag.
Sometimes, it was most definitely a photo. For those, I took off my backpack so that I could move a bit better, and started to frame the picture in my mind; what focal length would I need, where to put the edges of the frame, how was the light. When I started to think like this, something just clicked. I think I kind of understand the 'take it slow' mentality now. To cap it off, I stumbled on this.
I first noticed the fallen tree, there were in fact two of them, lying almost parallel (the other one is to the left, out of frame). Second, I noticed the light, spilling through from the open area just behind the trees. The sun was out in full force, which really isn't all that much this time of year, but it was just perfect. I found the right spot (without the camera), set up the tripod and camera there, and took the image. Then I packed everything into my bag again, just like my YouTube mentors.
This was turning out to be a really nice day. It was the first time in weeks that I'd seen the sun, I was out in a beautiful forest, and I was getting some photography done. The fact that the area was completely new to me just added to the sense of discovery.
After the photo above, I reached the edge of the forest, where a big swamp started. There were small clouds going in and out in front of the sun, bathing everything in the golden light one minute, and into a blueish gloom the other. I climbed up a bird-watching tower to take in a view over the marshes. Beautiful, but not really worthy of a photo. Some places are just like that; while you are there, it's great, but you just can't capture it. Instead, I tried to think about what made the place so great, to see if I could hone in on that.
What I saw in front of me was frozen, snow-covered marshland, with small trees everywhere, occasionally in beautiful light. So, it just made sense to me to try to capture that; a simple detail in a vast landscape, that nevertheless tells the story. I tried multiple angles, never being quite happy. I was looking for a single small tree, with nice side light, and a nice white background. I knew there was a lot of marsh to find the picture in, but the clock was against me and I started panicking (taking photos without a tripod). Here are a few of the not-so-good captures I tried:
Small tree, golden light, background. Yes? No. I think it's too cluttered: I wanted simple, this is not it. The two trees were nice though.
Same tree, taken from a higher vantage point to contrast with the snow behind. This makes the tree more isolated. I didn't like this one either.
Maybe towards the sun? I like this one even less. There is too much contrast, and too much stuff going on.
As I was taking the photos above, I started thinking again; the idea was still valid, but my execution was flawed. I wanted simplicity, but was trying to include everything in the frame. I remembered a shot I had taken an hour or do earlier, just to get it. At the time, I thought it was a bit cliche, I just happened to be in the right place when the sun hit a small tree in a clearing. Now, it was everything I was looking for, but couldn't find out in the marsh.
It doesn't have to be difficult. I know it's been done before, but I don't care.
The composition isn't perfect; there's a small tree on the right side that I'd get rid of. The bigger tree in the background should be slightly more to the left. But it's still a nice picture. So, I gave up my search for a small tree in the marsh, and started to think about returning to the car. At this point was around two o'clock, meaning I had about an hour of sunlight left. I'd been out for three hours already, and I was very content with the images I already had. As a final image, I decided to capture the slight s-curve of the path through the marsh; the light was still nice, and s-curves are almost always good subjects. I had to wait about 15 minutes for the sun to show and a few families to get out of shot, but I think was worth it. Having my tripod out again meant I just had to wait for the right time, and press the shutter. No need to re-frame or remember where you where standing.
After driving home and making some food, I looked out my kitchen window to see a beautiful pink sunset. I knew it was a possibility when I left the park; but I was still happy even though I didn't capture it. I knew I had some keepers on the memory card, slowly warming up in my camera bag.
Finally, a few things I learned during the Sunday trip:
- If you think it might be good weather for a photo or two, don't hesitate, just go.
- Pack all lenses you have, an extra battery, and an extra memory card.
- Do not walk around with your camera out. Take your time. Enjoy. The photos will show themselves.
- Light is everything. I know it sounds dumb, but I think I'm finally getting it.
Also, I am really starting to dislike my 18-200mm lens. It's just not up to par with my other lenses. Those aren't superb either, but this particular one is really, really bad at most focal lengths. Makes me think on what I'm going to do for my return trip to Norway in a few months...