NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY

In Awe With the Forest Colors in Late Fall

Embracing nature at its finest

It feels somehow different. This year’s fall. I’ve always enjoyed the season of fall. But many are hating the season due to it representing the end of summer and being characterized by dropping temperatures and lots of rain. But to me, fall has always been more than that.

I’ve loved collecting leaves as a child. I’d dry and press them in between stacks of books. I made greeting cards, calendars and I don’t know what else from them. Those colorful leaves were just so inspiring to my creative self.

But this year it feels different. As if I am experiencing it all more intensely. The colors. The beauty. The fresh and clean air. The hazy mornings. And early sunsets. It all seems to excite me just a little bit more than normal.

It could be because I’ve been away from living in a place having a season of fall for so many years. Last year was my first fall in 6 years. But it also could be because this year I got encouraged and motivated by all you readers and writers of Medium describing and displaying the beauty of fall. I was getting carried away from the exciting “fall articles” across the platform.

Meanwhile, I don’t have to move out of my flat to see it. The beauty of the season. Right through my windows, I can see the forest. And I can see the yellows, oranges, and red colors all across the mountain. I can see the evergreen pine and fir trees in between.

And I can just stand in awe and embrace it all.

But sometimes I want more. I want more than just looking through a window. And that is when we get dressed (because there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing) and head out into the woods.

Usually, I’m over-excited at the beginning of our hike and shoot a lot of pictures before we even get started. My husband then gets quickly irritated and just walks ahead. Walking into my shot is his idea of dragging me along.

But I mean he’s right. He knows we won’t get anywhere if I keep shooting at that speed. I’ll see so much more along the way and want to stop behind every corner.

But what should I say? It’s just so pretty out there. All around me is so much beauty.

I’m in awe of the foliage on the forest floor. I’m in awe with the different colored leaves on the trees. I’m in awe with all the green in between. And I’m in awe with the wind that peacefully blows across the treetops and shakes down the leaves that begin to dance onto the earth.

The hiking trails leading through the forest just look so much more appealing in fall. Covered in a layer of fallen leaves the forest path becomes soft and one with nature.

I remember having photographed a few sweet chestnuts on the forest floor last fall and being surprised by their beauty. I’ve never really seen them before in my hometown. Don’t know if they are native to Germany or not (no they are not, they are native to southern Europe, thanks Wiki) but I was pleasantly surprised by their appearance in our forest.

I missed them this fall mainly because we didn’t hike through that part of the forest when they were ripe and starting to fall. Now, most of them have been eaten by rodents but I got lucky to find a few old ones on the floor. Worth stopping for a shot, or two.

We continue our walk towards the end of the mountain. At the edge of the forest, we get to overlook the big valley where the River Main runs through. Vineyards are covering the hills on its shore.

We turn back into the forest and back up the mountain.

Passing an old, abandoned graveyard.

While others might have chosen to inspect the gravestones or capture the heritage standing here, I shifted my focus to something else from the past. Fallen leaves decorating the walls of the graveyard.

Since we can’t get enough of being in the wilderness, we often leave the beaten paths and bundu-bash through the forest. That’s at least how we call it. Away from the dirt tracks and forest trails, we fight our way straight up the mountain. We fight against bushes in our way and step over layers of dead branches and foliage.

Bundu-bashing

South African for “To force one’s way through rough and difficult terrain; to go out into the wilds.” — Dictionary of South African English

Last year I wrote an entire article about the magic of mushrooms. This year I’ve captured the first mushroom in July already since we had such a wet summer. I didn’t photograph as many as last year but I still got some beauties on today’s hike.

(Did you see the mushroom in the first of the three pictures above? It was well-camouflaged.)

Whenever we do go bundu-bashing we don’t remain for too long off-trail. Mainly because there are so many paths all across the mountain. Sooner or later you’re going to hit another one. But that’s fine as well. That way you can’t get lost out there. Because trails signs are non-existent. And we almost never take our phones with us. We try to rely on our sense of orientation rather than electronic devices.

We weren’t fortunate to see any game this time. Despite it being late in the afternoon and surely the time they are out and about we just didn’t see any. I’m sure we were pretty close to some deer or wild boar because we heard a few times obvious rustling in the undergrowth that was indicating some animals walking not far from us on the dead leaves.

I guess we’d get to see some of them if we just sat down on one of the countless deer stands throughout the forest.

But we were still pretty far from home and it is getting dark early in the forest. We got surprised by the darkness just a few days ago and had to be very careful on our last meters of the hike. Once the sun is behind the mountain there is no more light coming into the forest.

But that gives it all an even more special experience. It’s so quiet and peaceful out there. You hear birds singing, the wind blowing through the treetops and now and then some rustling on the forest floor.

Submerged from nature, I inhale it all. The entire beauty of this place.

I’m not getting those pictures of the colorful forest in front of the blue sky but this was still an amazing walk in nature. Even on rainy days or when the sky is overcast, the forest still shines.

I felt so refreshed when I got home. Refreshed and inspired of course. Because nature is what inspires me the most. After a walk or a hike in nature, I am full of ideas.

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” — Albert Camus

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