I set out for McDonald Woods forest preserve on a cold January day ready to go with a plan, new water-proof Merrell hiking boots and my trusty Nikon. Blanketed with several inches of freshly fallen snow, the miles-long walk promised to be slightly challenging, yet beautiful. Not only would this photo hike (as I’m calling it) be the first for the new year but also the first in my newly minted forest preserve photography project.
Before making my way to the preserve, the sky was a persistent muddy gray; everything below was equally as dull. As the temptation to skip my photo hike grew stronger, the obvious occurred to me: if I wait for perfect skies and just-right conditions, I’ll never accomplish anything. So I decided to do what I do worst (yes, I said worst), chuck my plan, go anyway and see what happens.
Don’t wait for ideal conditions
And I was rewarded for “just doing it.” In a word, McDonald Woods is gorgeous. Sure, it doesn’t compare to the Rocky Mountains in Breckenridge, CO where I hiked last summer, but for the flat terrain of northern Illinois, it is naturally beautiful.
One moment you find yourself trekking through grassland with open views and the next, climbing gentle hills into a secluded forest of tall pines. Trails and foot bridges wind their way around lakes, dotted with benches to take in the scenic views. As it turns out, nature is its own art whether or not its canvas is gray, white, blue or anything in between.
When inspiration hits
And then it happened; I felt inspired. A feeling that’s been alluding me lately, as far as photography goes. The clouds began to part and rays of sun broke through. And it cast beautiful shadows and a subtle contrast between light and shade as I stood in the midst of the pines. I looked up and the feathery green evergreen branches framed the sky perfectly. Even though I’d love to have a full-frame sensor camera and wide angle lens, I no longer felt constrained by my crop sensor.
Capture the ordinary
As I continued to hike, I captured moments in nature unique to this exact day, never again to be duplicated in precisely the same way. Mounds of snow climbing up one side of a tree, red berries shown off by a tuft of snow balanced on a branch, milkweed blowing in the frigid breeze, snow sculptures drawn along the lake by the winter winds.
Inspiration is a funny thing; like blowing air onto a fire barely there. And that’s how I felt as I made my way through McDonald Woods. Suddenly, my mind saw frames in the ordinary and I couldn’t wait to create a picture.
Joy in purpose
No sooner did the sun shine its winter shade of yellow across the terrain, than it began to fade. And as the soft wintry sunset quickly filled the sky (and I began to walk much faster) I couldn’t help but think about how much fun I had on my journey through the woods.
I met a lovely woman snow shoeing her way through who asked if I wouldn’t mind snapping a picture of her to send to her sister in Germany. She explained it doesn’t get this cold where she’s from. Of course, I was more than happy to oblige and made sure we got a good shot with the trail behind her to add lots of depth. She loved it.
And besides a determined jogger sporting some sort of running boots and a friendly older couple on cross country skis, there was no one else. It occurred to me that while we were all there doing our own thing, we each came with a purpose.
The value of progress
The purpose of my forest preserve photography project is to not only to become a better photographer but to create a collection in the process–to be more consistent and intentional in my pursuit of photography.
It’s been three years since I first picked up a DSLR camera and while the path to figuring out this whole photography thing certainly has its twists and turns, isn’t that true of most things we set out to accomplish? If it was easy would we even value the results? Would we find enjoyment in the lack of challenge?
The journey to mastery is long.
Sean Tucker Why Mastering Photography Takes Time
Recently, I discovered a wonderful photographer, Sean Tucker, who has some excellent technical videos, but it’s his life lessons and thoughts on the non-technical side of things that resonate.
In a recent video he discussed how people like Thomas Edison, Mozart, and da Vinci, for example, all felt it took longer to accomplish their goals than what they originally thought. Time, persistence and patience are key to mastery and to me, that’s really motivating.
How about you? Have you ever done a photography challenge or project? Do you have one you found particularly fun or helpful that you’d recommend? Did the experience help you grow as a photographer? I’d love to hear all about it, pros and cons, in the comments below.