Trees in an allee line a narrow road leading towards a ‚Gedenkwald‘ (a natural cemetery in a forest) and ‚Kunstpfad‘ (a track with installation art) in the small rural village of Holzhausen in northern Germany.
Installation art is an integral part of the ‚Kunstpfad‘ forest track. While the constructions are sculptural, many of the pieces can be used by trampers. The ‚Windwiege‘ (wind cradle) for example offers a comfortable sleep under the trees for weary walkers:
In the ‚Gedenkwald‘ (a natural cemetery in a forest) burial sites are next to specifically chosen trees.
Apart from a small open air chapel – with a simple cross and benches – the ‚Gedenkwald‘ preserves the natural environment of an uncultivated forest.
A plaque marks out a tree as a future burial site:
Now that I’m well settled in the Muensterland I started photographing a lot closer to home.
Thanks to the enthusiasm of my wonderful travel guide I’m getting about a lot and into nature.
While exploring my surroundings I take opportunistic photographs of the environment around me.
My wonderful travel guide can sniff out a view like Lassie could sniff an emergency. Her tracking skills are second to none, and she makes Pocahontas look like a dilettante.
When finding a special scene I make a mental note and go back later to create a more considered and polished image.
Many times something special happens and I’m reminded that with photography you make your own luck.
The golden hour is often when I’m out. This special time of day is rightly famous for the wonderful light it gives.
It’s something we can’t easily see with our eyes.
There is a gap of time when the light continues to change. The exposure times are often long enough that every exposure results in a slightly different mood within the image.
It’s the time that starts with the sunset and then continues until darkness.
Often times few people are about and animals within the fields and forests come awake.
Cities and villages settle down and the mood of the land quietens.
To me it’s one of the most peaceful times of day and to be out with my camera is meditative.
