WRITING PROMPT

Looking Up

Lift your head towards the sky and tell me what you see

Today’s walk through the village happened with one specific idea in mind. To shoot the colorful trees from beneath. And not just from anywhere but while standing right next to the trunk.

I had watched a documentary yesterday where a short clip filmed the treetops from below. The shot fascinated me. I don’t know what it was. The angle for sure. When do you ever stand right underneath a tree and look up? That far up you have to pull your head all the way into your neck.

And that’s what I did today. It wasn’t a pretty day. Not at all. It had rained all day long and I wasn’t even sure if the rain was finished. For that reason and because the light was anyway bad I decided to leave my big camera behind and just use the GoPro for the pictures I planned to take.

I tried to ignore the white sky and did my best focussing on the bright colors of the leaves. My first attempt was shooting a small Japanese maple tree at our neighbor’s ground. The tree wasn’t even as tall as I am. The branches were touching the ground. I went onto my knees and placed the camera on the foliage underneath the tree.

I was surprised by the result. It made this tiny maple tree look so huge. Meanwhile, it was barely 4 feet tall. This angle surely turned relations upside down.

I just have to walk about 300 feet down the road and I’m standing at the entrance of the forest. That’s how close we live to this beautiful landscape feature.

Now, I was looking up at the trees creating the beginning of a massive forest. The trees are tall for sure, but once I was standing right in the middle underneath them, they looked a lot taller than what they seemed like it from far.

I love the white tree bark of birch trees. It makes them unique. And creates a beautiful pattern on the stem.

There’s a small trail leading down the valley along the edge of the forest. The last houses are just a few feet away from me but I feel the forest already. Birds are singing, the branches are moving in the wind and colored leaves are dancing onto the ground.

I’m looking for differently shaped stems and trees close to each other. It’s always fun experimenting with a new photography style or a certain topic you use for the afternoon.

I do often shoot from different angles because it keeps the pictures interesting but also because it keeps me on my toes. Constantly switching between standing up with the head in my neck and going down onto my knees ensures diversity in my photography.

When looking from afar onto the forest it just looks like one orange color. The last few days of grey and cold have taken a toll on fall’s beauty. But while I’m standing underneath these trees, the different shades of orange mixed with many other colors are popping out. Despite the overcast sky.

“Knowledge comes from looking around; wisdom comes from looking up.” — Adrian Rogers

Then this tree pulled my attention with some ivy growing up along its stem. I struggled to get the right light for it since the ivy and the stem were so dark and the sky incredibly bright. But somehow I dealt with the contrast and you can see it all more or less clear.

While I continuously looked up towards the sky I almost slipped and fell on this steep and slippery path. Look at your steps while moving and stop moving to look up. Might have been a bit of good advice beforehand.

This tree was so different from all the other ones. Of course, because almost all the leaves have dropped already. But it was pretty in its own way. Without all the leaves, every single branch is visible. Even the tiniest of the tiny branches are to be seen in the sky. Like a beautiful artwork.

And then there was this tree. There are even some green leaves still on the tree. That fascinates me the most. How different they start changing colors. Some begin already at the end of August. And other trees wait a few months longer.

And then there’s this tree. Shining in lush green at the beginning of November. Not showing any sign of changing over to yellow and orange anytime soon. It just seems so unreal. But there was no Photoshop involved. This is how green the tree still is. On the 3rd of November.

I’ve truly enjoyed my walk “looking up”. If you’re interested in a new challenge I invite you to join me. I might do another walk with the same theme of photographing trees from below if I get a day of blue skies. Who knows what November still has to offer.

But you can choose your object differently. It should involve some putting the head into the neck and shooting upwards. But capture whatever comes in front of your lens. Buildings, birds, planes, or whatever else you get to see. Shoot it and show me how your world looks from below.

Keep looking up in search of a new perspective in life. But remember to look at your feet while walking. Stop, breathe and look up to find your object of interest.

I invite you to join me:

Dennett | David | Barb | Erika | Shruthi | Diana | Kim | Ellie | Juan | Pene

“Looking up gives light, even though at first it makes you dizzy.” — Rumi on picturequotes.com

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