What are you photographing?

Last Sunday despite my better judgement I went for a walk to a well known national park located nearby Hobart. I say that only because when I go for a walk with my camera I like to be totally immersed in my surrounds. I can only achieve that when I manage to truly slow down. Then I allow myself to rely on all of my senses to give me the feel for the place I am photographing. It is amazing how quickly that can happen. Just by being there, breathing in the fresh rainforest air while hearing the bird song or sounds of trickling rainforest creek flowing deep down in an inaccessible ravine, it can all immediately relax the soul.

I think with all that is going on in our world at the moment it is important to have our own sanctuaries. Our own places where we can go to replenish our tired spirits. Visiting the rainforests always does it for me.

Judging by the number of groups of people I came across it was obvious to me that visitor numbers are on the rise again in Tasmania. It might be that now finding that peaceful place has become just that little bit harder to find and it could be a little bit further away than it was before.

The light levels in a rainforest are low. That’s why I carry my camera setup on a tripod, with tripod legs usually fully extended. I frequently stop to observe the rainforest or when ever something stops me in my tracks. It’s good thing that I like going for these walks alone as once I find my rhythm and start seeing new, photographically exciting things these short, half an hour rated walks quickly become hours long adventure without any discernible signs of walking progress.

People do behave differently in a rainforest compared to when they find themselves in a city. I find that we always try to acknowledge each other when we are on the track. And that is how it should be. When you have a large tripod with camera on it and you set it up on a side of a track, while looking somewhere in a distance or empty space in front of you, people than always feel obliged to stop and ask you a question :

What’s there ? What are you photographing?

I know these people are often in a hurry as they want to get to that waterfall nearby. Without having the obvious clues where my camera is pointing towards and without presence of any rainforest animals to show them I usually reply back with something like: Nothing really, I just enjoy discovering interesting small details as I walk along the track …

But really, how do you answer these questions? How do you explain to someone who has iPhone in their hands and is ready and eager to snap that trophy picture of their holidays. How do you tell them that there is a whole new world existing beyond that what is readily visible to us. The world that reveals itself to those who take time to slow down and allow themselves to see it through the lens of their camera …