I would echo you completely on the value of nature connection – how important it is personally and for successful photography and, in turn, how the process of creating images can strengthen that bond. Interestingly, at the WildPhotos symposium in Bristol last weekend, one of the speakers pointed out that quite the opposite can happen in some situations – you can concentrate so hard on getting the picture that you miss the chance to see something special with your own eyes; it can be hard to put the camera down and just watch an animal, for example, but doing so can create a stronger connection and better memory than trying to document the behaviour and taking away a card full of, possibly not great, images. That said, I never walk without my camera and love how it shows me things that otherwise I wouldn't have noticed.
Thank you very much for your comments Jane and I am sorry for the slow response. I think your comment from the Bristol symposium is interesting as although photography can definitely be a way of connecting with nature it can also mean we miss things because we are focusing so hard on getting the shot. Over all I think my camera has made me more observant which in turn has strengthened my connection with nature.
A lovely memory there Gill. It did occur to me when reading your blog how people generally seemed to appreciate nature more during Covid, probably because of our desire to get out, but also perhaps because animals ventured nearer to us as our towns and cities were so relatively quiet. So I think it’s there under the surface for people to seek nature, but unfortunately has probably become less of a priority again for some since - a missed opportunity. Personally having grown up in East London I always enjoyed finding green spaces. Bringing up a family in Loughton on the edge of Epping Forest encouraged this further, but it’s only after moving to north east Essex I’ve found some relatively remote places where you can feel even closer to nature. Enjoy Scotland - I’m currently enjoying your book “At The Edge of Permanence”!
Thank you very much for your comments David. I am sorry for the slow response but I am glad you are enjoying the book.
I agree with your comments, I think we all need a connection with nature but sometimes that is hard to achieve or make time for. However I think it is important and I know I always feel better after spending time in the natural world.
I wholeheartedly agree and greatly appreciate all the wonderful photographers on Substack who share their experiences with us all.
Appreciate you sharing your thoughts and photos with us! Connecting with nature is really important for my mental well-being and resetting my thoughts from the busyness of my normal life.
I can only wholeheartedly agree with you Gill about the importance of nature connection! Nature has always been my go to when I need to re-balance, ponder ideas or just be at peace. With photography, having a camera has helped me to look more closely and I find that the images that are my better ones are those where I really felt a connection to a place and moment...where I had immersed myself in the nature surrounding me before I decide to raise the viewfinder to my eye.
Thank you so much for your comments Lin and I absolutely agree. Photography has made me more observant which in turn has deepened my connection with nature. I also agree that we make better images when we are more connected to a place.
Hi Gill, I really enjoyed your Nature Connection written piece, the term “Blog” doesn’t do it justice!
It reminds me of how I think about my surroundings and how lucky I am to live here. Nature is on my doorstep, but in reality it’s on everybody’s doorstep. It just that some do not bother to look for it.
If I walk with my camera, it's as if it slows down time for me and makes me look closer at what is happening around me. Then when I look at the photos back home, I can relive those moments and scenes again!
My friend is now going to buy a camera, but he’s interested in photographing the night sky as he has a prime view across the fields. Of course, this is still nature, but you just need a thicker coat!
Thank you very much for your comments Alan, it is good to hear your thoughts on nature connection and what it means to you. Having the camera definitely makes me slow down and it has also helped me become more observant. I think it is a great way to connect with nature and place and as you say a great way to relive those lovely little moments we experience in the landscape. I hope your friend enjoys his night sky photography - that is something I am not very good at - its too cold for me! 🙂
As you were describing your recent early morning outing Gill, I was just thinking how immersing yourself in Nature engages all the senses. Not just looking closely, but smelling, hearing and touching (I can never resist the feel of bark) - and there was Contact at number 1 of Professor Richardson's list. A very strong yes to both your questions - a deep connection allows a sensitivity to the nuances of the landscape and its inhabitants that shines through in great photography, and having a camera encourages (demands) that connection. Plus, there is the thrill of seeing something unusual or unusually beautiful. Good luck with the workshops.
Thank you so much for your comments James and I absolute agree. Engaging all our senses is so important and I understand completely your desire to touch the bark of trees - I too cannot resist!
What beautiful photographs. Thanks Gill for sharing these and your memories with your Dad and a kingfisher. I am 20 years your senior but I saw an adder for the first time this year and that was special. I hope you enjoy your workshop in Scotland and you have good conditions for photography.
Thank you very much for your comments Trevor, I am glad you enjoyed the post and the photographs. I think seeing birds and animals for the first time is always special and we usually never forget those moments. Adders are stunning - I have only ever seen two in my lifetime but I remember both occasions.
What a great memory! I have memories with my own parents and hope that I've instilled some in my own kids, too. I've felt a deep connection with the natural world my entire life, but photography has helped me see and appreciate finer details and qualities around me.
Wonderful photos this week Gill! I do feel the need to get out and explore more locally before our natural areas are lost to development.
Thank you so much for your comments Erik. I think it is lovely to try and pass on your love of the natural world to your kids, hopefully that is something they will always appreciate. I know I do.
I agree with you that photography is a great way to help us become more observant and to look more closely. It has definitely deepened my connection with nature.
Really thought I had posted a comment, I remember writing it, just couldn't have pressed the button strong enough! In anticipation of you returning in November, I revisited the post. I have commented before that your narratives certainly resonate with me, and are enjoyed as much as you images, a perfect marriage! This bog, article what ever we refer to it is no different, your memories of childhood and being with your father paints a beautiful picture, causing me to immerse myself in the then, and recall my own times with my father, and my years as an adolescent. Those memories remain, and although time has passed and in my case so has my father, he and that child remain in the present!😀 Hoping that you current trip is proving fruitful, I look forward to reading about it in November!😀
Thank you very much for your comments Chris, I am glad you enjoyed the blog. The workshops in Scotland are going really well and we are all having a lovely time. 🙂
I would echo you completely on the value of nature connection – how important it is personally and for successful photography and, in turn, how the process of creating images can strengthen that bond. Interestingly, at the WildPhotos symposium in Bristol last weekend, one of the speakers pointed out that quite the opposite can happen in some situations – you can concentrate so hard on getting the picture that you miss the chance to see something special with your own eyes; it can be hard to put the camera down and just watch an animal, for example, but doing so can create a stronger connection and better memory than trying to document the behaviour and taking away a card full of, possibly not great, images. That said, I never walk without my camera and love how it shows me things that otherwise I wouldn't have noticed.
Thank you very much for your comments Jane and I am sorry for the slow response. I think your comment from the Bristol symposium is interesting as although photography can definitely be a way of connecting with nature it can also mean we miss things because we are focusing so hard on getting the shot. Over all I think my camera has made me more observant which in turn has strengthened my connection with nature.
A lovely memory there Gill. It did occur to me when reading your blog how people generally seemed to appreciate nature more during Covid, probably because of our desire to get out, but also perhaps because animals ventured nearer to us as our towns and cities were so relatively quiet. So I think it’s there under the surface for people to seek nature, but unfortunately has probably become less of a priority again for some since - a missed opportunity. Personally having grown up in East London I always enjoyed finding green spaces. Bringing up a family in Loughton on the edge of Epping Forest encouraged this further, but it’s only after moving to north east Essex I’ve found some relatively remote places where you can feel even closer to nature. Enjoy Scotland - I’m currently enjoying your book “At The Edge of Permanence”!
Thank you very much for your comments David. I am sorry for the slow response but I am glad you are enjoying the book.
I agree with your comments, I think we all need a connection with nature but sometimes that is hard to achieve or make time for. However I think it is important and I know I always feel better after spending time in the natural world.
so beautifully written and the photos have such gentle graphic energy!
Thank you so much Daniela, I am glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
I certainly share in this sentiment. Beautifully peaceful imagery and I love the 5 pathways of connection to nature. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you very much for your comments Joe. I am glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂
I wholeheartedly agree and greatly appreciate all the wonderful photographers on Substack who share their experiences with us all.
Appreciate you sharing your thoughts and photos with us! Connecting with nature is really important for my mental well-being and resetting my thoughts from the busyness of my normal life.
Thank you very much for your comments Jacob and I agree completely. Time in nature is always time well spent.
I can only wholeheartedly agree with you Gill about the importance of nature connection! Nature has always been my go to when I need to re-balance, ponder ideas or just be at peace. With photography, having a camera has helped me to look more closely and I find that the images that are my better ones are those where I really felt a connection to a place and moment...where I had immersed myself in the nature surrounding me before I decide to raise the viewfinder to my eye.
Thank you so much for your comments Lin and I absolutely agree. Photography has made me more observant which in turn has deepened my connection with nature. I also agree that we make better images when we are more connected to a place.
Hi Gill, I really enjoyed your Nature Connection written piece, the term “Blog” doesn’t do it justice!
It reminds me of how I think about my surroundings and how lucky I am to live here. Nature is on my doorstep, but in reality it’s on everybody’s doorstep. It just that some do not bother to look for it.
If I walk with my camera, it's as if it slows down time for me and makes me look closer at what is happening around me. Then when I look at the photos back home, I can relive those moments and scenes again!
My friend is now going to buy a camera, but he’s interested in photographing the night sky as he has a prime view across the fields. Of course, this is still nature, but you just need a thicker coat!
Have a great trip to Scotland!
Thank you very much for your comments Alan, it is good to hear your thoughts on nature connection and what it means to you. Having the camera definitely makes me slow down and it has also helped me become more observant. I think it is a great way to connect with nature and place and as you say a great way to relive those lovely little moments we experience in the landscape. I hope your friend enjoys his night sky photography - that is something I am not very good at - its too cold for me! 🙂
Kingfisher is my favourite bird, that flash of electric blue is a real heart warmer. Very nice article. Have a nice time in Scotland.
Thank you very much Philip, I am glad you enjoyed the article and like me appreciate the sight of a kingfisher. 🙂
As you were describing your recent early morning outing Gill, I was just thinking how immersing yourself in Nature engages all the senses. Not just looking closely, but smelling, hearing and touching (I can never resist the feel of bark) - and there was Contact at number 1 of Professor Richardson's list. A very strong yes to both your questions - a deep connection allows a sensitivity to the nuances of the landscape and its inhabitants that shines through in great photography, and having a camera encourages (demands) that connection. Plus, there is the thrill of seeing something unusual or unusually beautiful. Good luck with the workshops.
Thank you so much for your comments James and I absolute agree. Engaging all our senses is so important and I understand completely your desire to touch the bark of trees - I too cannot resist!
great read...
Thank you very much Ernest, I am glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
What beautiful photographs. Thanks Gill for sharing these and your memories with your Dad and a kingfisher. I am 20 years your senior but I saw an adder for the first time this year and that was special. I hope you enjoy your workshop in Scotland and you have good conditions for photography.
Thank you very much for your comments Trevor, I am glad you enjoyed the post and the photographs. I think seeing birds and animals for the first time is always special and we usually never forget those moments. Adders are stunning - I have only ever seen two in my lifetime but I remember both occasions.
What a great memory! I have memories with my own parents and hope that I've instilled some in my own kids, too. I've felt a deep connection with the natural world my entire life, but photography has helped me see and appreciate finer details and qualities around me.
Wonderful photos this week Gill! I do feel the need to get out and explore more locally before our natural areas are lost to development.
Thank you so much for your comments Erik. I think it is lovely to try and pass on your love of the natural world to your kids, hopefully that is something they will always appreciate. I know I do.
I agree with you that photography is a great way to help us become more observant and to look more closely. It has definitely deepened my connection with nature.
This is such a beautiful collection of photographs, you capture the landscape of Suffolk so evocatively.
Thank you so much Deborah, that is really kind. I am glad you enjoyed the images.
Really thought I had posted a comment, I remember writing it, just couldn't have pressed the button strong enough! In anticipation of you returning in November, I revisited the post. I have commented before that your narratives certainly resonate with me, and are enjoyed as much as you images, a perfect marriage! This bog, article what ever we refer to it is no different, your memories of childhood and being with your father paints a beautiful picture, causing me to immerse myself in the then, and recall my own times with my father, and my years as an adolescent. Those memories remain, and although time has passed and in my case so has my father, he and that child remain in the present!😀 Hoping that you current trip is proving fruitful, I look forward to reading about it in November!😀
Oophs fat fingers, a couple of typos mainly letters missing from words, the Rs from you, should be your, and L from bog, should be blog!😅
Thank you very much for your comments Chris, I am glad you enjoyed the blog. The workshops in Scotland are going really well and we are all having a lovely time. 🙂