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Posted on by Debbie

Into the forest I go for #SundayStills

A walk in the forest

It’s been a huge few days – I’ve been up in a hot air balloon for the first time (more on that to come in a future post), we’ve been away for the weekend (yay, travel and just wait until you see our fabulous accomodation!) and I’ve started a health challenge over the next 30 days, making an effort to be more active, to be more aware of what I’m eating and to drink more water. Some days it can be a real struggle!

So after getting home mid Sunday afternoon, from a busy weekend at a Rotary Conference, seeing care, kindness and selfless community service in action, I needed to go out and move my body. The only problem with conferences is that you end up sitting for far too long, but I was pleased to say I managed to ignore most of the sugary morning tea offerings. We also had to drive over 2 and a half hours each way so not a lot of time for exercising. After I’d unpacked and had the washing on, I put on my shoes and went for a walk into the forest, which starts at the end of our paddock – so not too far to go!

I often quote John Muir, by saying ‘into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul‘. I love the image that conjures up!

It also happens to be the UN International Day of Happiness today, March 20, and for Sunday Stills Terri has the theme of Daylight in Black and White.

So armed with that knowledge, I marched off to make myself happy, get some much needed exercise and take some black and white photos in the daylight.

These thistles are my favourite from my collection for this post. What do you think?

thistles in black and white
thistles in black and white

Black and White photography essay

I love the various things I see when out walking and when I know I’m taking photos for a specific reason I take even more notice. The pine trees are pretty dull most of the time but the texture of their trunk looks very interesting in black and white.

texture of a tree in black and white
texture of a tree in black and white

Photography is an act of observation. It has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.

Elliott Erwitt

I took heart from this quote because I often have trouble with black and white photos – I like colour far too much as I’ve said on many occasions. I played around with editing some recent photos into black and white but they just didn’t work for me.

My walk into the forest was for the sole purpose of taking some black and white photos and I had fun looking, observing the environment and trying to see the images I was taking in black and white before I actually took them, (if that makes sense).

This photo of a pile of discarded parts of the trees made me think of the game ‘pick up sticks.’

pick up sticks in black and white
pick up sticks in black and white

I think black and white photography is a real art and admire those who do it well, time and time again – I’m not one of those people!

Through the paddock we cross into the ‘common’ and then pass through this gate onto the road which leads to the forest tracks.

through the gate in black and white
through the gate in black and white

As I said in my last Sunday Stills post about Making Memories, getting out for a walk, or a ride certainly helps me clear my head. These forest tracks are well trodden!

forest tracks in black and white
forest tracks in black and white

The fence is a homemade affair and I think it has a lot of character.

on the fence in black and white
on the fence in black and white

On the way back from our walk, this view of power lines marching across our paddock greets me, and although it looks good in colour, it also looks a bit dramatic in black and white.

power lines in black and white
power lines in black and white

Sunday Stills

Terri is back with Sunday Stills photo challenge for 2022 and the prompt this week is Daylight in Black and White. You can read Terri’s post here – #Daylight in Black and White

So there you have it, a walk into the forest to lose my mind and find my soul! I ‘d like to know what you think of black and white photography in general, and which of my photos is your favourite.

I hope you enjoyed my photo essay and although I don’t see black and white photography as my forte, I do enjoy the challenge of doing something outside my comfort zone and then sharing with you.

Wishing you some joy for International Day of Happiness. Have a great week ahead.

Deb x

All my Sunday Stills posts can be found here – I’ve been doing these for quite some time now!

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Everyone has a story to tell! Deb is a young-at-heart & active 60+ blogger/retiree, after being made redundant from her 22-year career managing education programs in a men’s correctional centre (jail). She now spends her time reading, blogging, riding her ebike and travelling. Deb was awarded a Bravery Award from the Queen when she was 17 after a tragic accident – a definite life changing moment! She is married with 3 grown-up daughters & has 4 grandchildren. She never imagined being Granny Debs would bring so much joy to her life! You can read more of Deb’s story here

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27 Replies to “Into the forest I go for #SundayStills”

  1. I quite like black and white photos and the different perspective they give. If I have to choice a favourite of your photos it would be the forest trail. I love the shadows and contrasting patches of light.

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  2. B&W always makes photos more surreal Deb – and yours definitely felt a bit other-worldy. Interesting to see a bit more of the country around your home and to view it from a different perspective.

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    1. Yes Leanne, surreal is a good word to describe black and white photos. I often think my forest walks are boring as there’s little drama to capture but to others who don’t have that outlook it must look very different!

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  3. Your B&W photos are quite stunning, Debbie! You caught the daylight moments of your walk in the forest quite perfectly. Black and white photography enhances texture and contrast and your images really show how it’s done! I love the one of the gate and the one showing the power lines! I hope you found your soul after a busy week and good for you for embracing a health challenge.

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    1. Thanks very much Terri, the daylight was playing all over the tracks so it gave a good contrast in some of them I thought. It was a great way to stretch myself and I thank you for that!

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  4. Pingback: Sunday Stills: #Daylight in Black and White – Second Wind Leisure Perspectives

  6. Your black and white photography showcased here is absolutely stunning, Debbie! ‘Into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul,’ is such a great quote. Congratulations with sticking with your challenge even when your body wanted to rest, and your tastebuds wanted to try out those conference treats! Well-done you!

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    1. Oh thanks Donna, the post was a great experiment and I achieved what i set out to do. The fact that others, like you, enjoy my attempts is a bonus! The struggle was real with the wanting to rest and eat all those muffins but I stuck by my current challenge to eat mindfully and well.

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  7. Going to the forest to lose my mind and find my soul is a quote I shall not forget. Unlike you, Deb, I love black and white photography as the focus is on the subject, not the colour. The powerlines and the homemade fence are good examples of a great B&W photo.

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    1. Thanks very much Suz, it’s difficult for me to see past the colour at times but I’m glad I gave it a go and am happy with my shots. The powerlines and fence shots appealed to me too.

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    1. Thanks for your visit and comment Natalie, the forest tracks were lit by the sun with the shadows crossing the path, it was lovely in colour but has a certain something in black and white.

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  11. Black and white photos seem to have a certain timeless quality about them which is what I really like. They don’t age or give away their age at all. Love the fact that they could be five minutes or 50 years old. Some great ones here, you’ve got an eye Deb.

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    1. You’re right Jonno, black and white does have a timeless quality to it. Thanks for your encouraging comment, I just wanted to experiment a little and push myself out of my comfort zone a bit!

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  13. I’m a girl who loves her world bright too….. But there is something to black and white images where they can show contrasts, textures and more so well. Lines in particular. The last photo for me told a “sad story” of someone trying to find home again.,I also have a good imagination. Interesting isn’t it, that whilst sitting can be restful there can be too much of it and movement is needed to get us going in our spirits too. I am pondering a more self compassionate April…with some idea which I will post this week before WOTY link up. Denyse

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