Finding art, sanctuary and shapes within woodlands: A journey through Blidworth Woods.

Sometimes a walk in the woods is the perfect antidote to the modern world and the seamless oddities that we have been faced with both during the pandemic and of course as restrictions have been eased. Still though, it was just last week that I re-visited some woodlands that before Easter of this year (2021) I had visited and yes, an oddity did happen; it snowed! Still though this time the weather was a lot nicer, warmer and the worry of snow falling was not on my mind at all, instead I was focused on having a nice walk and capturing some trees. I say trees, but Blidworth Woods is something of a dense wood that you could easily describe as being,

“A small forest in disguise, one that has secrets throughout it and gems just waiting to be discovered at every turn.”

Ironically though the website for Blidworth Woods does say the following “Forestry England” so maybe it is a forest, maybe it is not - either way though I digress. As it would seem that Blidworth Woods is something of an intricate maze with secrets at every turn which like many woodlands and forested areas provide a plethora of interesting compositions at every turn - even when you are least expecting a composition to arise. I had arrived in the car park of Blidworth Woods, sheltered by a canopy of trees, exposed areas also exist at this point and usually a burger wagon is parked up here, providing much needed refreshments; however it was not there this time around - (but I can highly recommend one of the tempting burgers that they do and a hot chocolate).

Ahead of the car park is a path, a long straight path that is akin to a tree, with various other smaller footpaths leading off it, tempting you to explore the different areas within the woods, within this mystical setting and walking on some of those footpaths will take you to various areas of Blidworth Woods, which are just waiting to be explored. This time though I walked this long path that was ahead of me, gently sloping upwards, for it is not steep, just a gentle and easy incline to walk up with mystical woodland scenes just waiting to be photographed.

A woodland symphony. 

A passage to middle earth.

A fallen tree leads on.

Delights everywhere for the long path from the car park, is one that most people avoid as they opt to explore the other parts of Blidworth Woods, but here I was walking up what seemed to be a never ending path of photogenic discoveries.

Eventually I thought I had reached the top of this gentle sloping incline and walking for a short distance it felt like I had, somehow with the path and the trees on either side a slice of paradise was found, the sheer size of those trees along with the textures and the colours was a sight that was beautiful, for this was nature providing just a little bit of artwork and that in it’s own rights is something amazing.

“Amazing isn’t it what nature can do? How often we ignore it, yet it really is the greatest example of art that we do not appreciate when really we should do. We should appreciate trees and woodlands, the shapes, the sizes of the trees and the amazing symphony the offer to us - best of all it is all free.”

Exploration of woodlands.

Looking back or looking forwards.

Woodland maze.

A track through a mystery.

The avenue of height.

Then after I had captured those photographs from the top of the main spinal path leading from the car park of Blidworth Woods, another discovery happened - “what goes up must come down” and sure enough the path that I was walking on slowly and gently began to go back down, another gentle incline and one that ended up in what appeared to be a small but perfectly formed hidden valley, a small one; but one which I had previously walked through on a crisscross path before Easter when it had snowed, by now I knew where I was, but the path I was on went straight on, and I just had to keep walking this part of the un-explored pathway through the woods.

Now in front of me a gentle incline, another one this time shorter and I keep walking up, more photogenic discoveries can be seen and they tempt me with the following photograph looking into the woods.

Define art?

Looking ahead in the woods.

The growth of trees.

Is this Endor?

For now which way?

A short while later and I reach the top of this short but delightful incline and now is another question, right or left? In the end, left it is and this time the greens look lush -- gone are the tall pines and other forest like trees, for this is woodland with interesting shapes and textures around that exist like a musical piece of theatre all in harmony with each other, all with different chords, keys that provide a symphonic piece of music within the mind.

Carrying on walking through these shades of green, the shapes changed, the trees changed and down another incline I walked down; this time it was slightly steeper but non the less the shapes began to change, for this was artwork and sanctuary right before my eyes a tree that was shaped like one of those Japanese fans, used to cool yourself down appeared to the right of me and I just had to capture it.

The shapes of simplicity.

A woodland pattern.

But that was not all, the delights where not over yet, the sun was just on the cusp of setting and the woodlands felt alive, for people who had been working where also enjoying the delights of the forest air, exploring it, walking, running, cycling in this area of magical surroundings that was something like a forest moon from a certain science fiction franchise - Endor, anyone?

Now I was on the approach back to where I had started from, a completely different route that I had walked this time, compared to when I was at Blidworth Woods, in April; just before Easter. But did it matter that I was walking on new grounds? No it did not as there was one final surprise and that was the light which just seeped through the trees, the rays of sun made for a final artistic display amongst these living pieces of art.

A woodland landing.

Avenue of light.

The orange glow.

Orbs of the woodlands

Amazing really that artwork is often thought as being a painting by one of the great classics, it really is not - art can be anything and it exists all around us at any given time, how it is perceived well that is up to the human mind creating a utopia, and for me a walk through the woods was utopia, seeing the nature and natural world providing me and others with this glorious artwork that is free, best of all without this natural art of trees then society would not exist, remember Trees do give us oxygen and contribute to human life as we know it, but the saddest thing is that we end up chopping them down for pointless political transportation projects that will have zero contributions to us as we know it…. HS2, yes excellent at destroying these beautiful pieces of natural art that we often forget - but perhaps now is the time we start caring about the world around us instead of trying to destroy it - perhaps if we did that the world would and could become a better place.

Yet somehow on this walk I found art, sanctuary and shapes within this small but perfectly formed woodland, often we ignore what is around us when walking, but if we slowed down and appreciated what was around us, we would eventually realize that as a society so much can be had for free, without the needs to spend and it is those simple things like a walk through the woodlands which is better than anything that can be purchased within this age of capitalism. Now is the time as we exit from the cycle of lockdown and the pandemic to really take a look at life and make our own little piece of utopia. For I have found mine and that is one of the best feelings ever, the simple things in life which are free and never taking life for granted.

In search of bluebells, for they are slightly late this year!

“If one year is full of sun and warmth, the year after it will be one that brings a mixed bag with it of contrasts.”

For that sentiment is true, last year things were slightly tropical and the warmth was on our side. 2020 was a stark contrast meteorologically compared to 2021 - although last year the natural carpet that nature provides for us was already out, this year however it has turned up rather late. Yes I am talking about one of the prettiest sights of all, a signal that summer is just around the corner and perhaps this could be one of the most photogenic scenes you could ever wish to capture as a photographer and they are Bluebells, one of the nations most loved plants with a magical dreamlike colour that has inspired many over the years.

However this year they are slightly late and that of course is down to the rather strange weather that we have been having. Remember that snow in April? And on the note of odd weather, snow has fallen in Scotland this month, barmy or what? Either way a walk that I was on last week provided me with some interesting scenes and whilst last year I had captured the following,

Escaping with the Bluebells - a photo that I took last April (2020), of a magical display of colour within the woodland at Shipley Park. This year however (2021) The Bluebells are late.

And here I was, back at the same country park (Shipley Park), where last year (April) of 2020 I had captured nature and her natural carpet, this year though things have been different and in my mind was the following,

“Will there be any of these delightful enigmatic flowers to capture in their raw beauty”

For I had arrived and started the walk from Mapperley Reservoir - a quaint and peaceful body of water that is soothing and calming, thus provides the hiker or the walker with an ever changing view and the angler with a plentiful stock of fish and a charm of quietness, but I was not here for the water, I was here for the Bluebells and a short walk up Shipley Lane, a gentle incline lead me to the woods where hopefully I would surely find this carpet from mother nature that would greet me. At first glance my heart sort of sank, “where are the bluebells?” Surely by now the woods should have been covered with them; but that soon changed.

The carpet of nature.

Whilst I was expecting a whole carpet of Bluebells, at Shipley Park, they were scattered around in various spots, which made things a little more interesting. But, that did not matter as I was amongst the most delightful woodland, one that offered many other photographic opportunities as well for the eye and the lens. Somehow throughout the various lockdown(s) that have occurred here within the UK, I have come to really appreciate walks in the woodland and they offer more than just a place to escape from the world - they offer sanctuary and art.

So often when walking through a woodland it seems like we forget things, at the moment art galleries remain closed because of the pandemic; but in reality we do not need to visit an art gallery for art, just walking around Shipley Park, on the Bluebell search I noticed a lot of art, right in front of my eyes and whilst it might not have been a painting by one of the greats - this art was instead free to enjoy and created by nature. Shapes, patterns and light conditions all made up for the symphonic explosion of textures and patterns that I encountered. Having photographed the first 2021 photo of the Bluebells I just had to continue this magical walk and had to take in the various artworks that nature had provided for me in an eloquent way.

But amongst the eloquent way I discovered more shapes and more textures, colours that screamed out “this is all part of a changing landscape, a picture show or a cinema show, eventually though you will find more bluebells, but that will be a surprise.” Just walking around the woodlands at the top of Shipley Park, I was taken away at how pretty it was, even though in the autumn it looked pretty, but now somehow the air seemed so alive and a little fresher.

Woodland dance amongst the Bluebells. 

The stump of nature - (Colour).

The stump of nature - (Black and White).

Down to the gate.

The perfect frame,

Sitting in the frame,

Within the moments.

Art in nature - (colour).

Art in nature - (Black and White).

Surviving in green surroundings.

Down the spring avenue.

What is interesting is how the woodland provides art for us, and the shapes within the trees are like living sculptures, always changing with the seasons and always providing something different each time we visit them (or any other landscape location), I suppose that nature is one big tapestry and each brushstroke is represented through shapes, textures, flowers and wildlife.

Then another opportunity to get closer to the Bluebells, for I had found some more of these delightful flowers!

Hello from a Bluebell - (Colour).

The enchanted floor.

A blue burst - (Colour).

Hello from a Bluebell - (Colour and Black and White).

A blue burst - (Colour and Black and White).

It is just the colour and the intricacy of them that I love, magical, mystical and if you get things right they are just asking to be photographed; whilst the Bluebells this year might be late, for my searching for them paid off in the end, all it needed was a bit of patience and time, a time to walk and explore the surroundings that they grow in, do that in a woodland where at first glance there are not many Bluebells and you are sure to eventually find them hiding, playing hide and seek with humans. 

I was made up, for I had managed to capture the first Bluebells of 2021, late they may be but they did not disappoint. Neither did the next thing, the weather had started to change and dark clouds meant I had to go down to the shore of Mapperley Reservoir and it is here that I managed to capture the following dramatic skies.

Blue serene.

Mapperley moods.

Looking back on my “search for Bluebells” I realized that the Bluebells remained a small part of what I had primarily set out to photograph, instead I was walking through the largest art gallery within existence, and best of all it did not cost a thing, but that in itself is one of the best things about exploration and landscape photography, you get to discover a world of art as provided by nature every time you open the front door, for that is the wider world and one that we should all cherish. Instead of destroying it for HS2 and ruining the world we live in, we should take more care of it, for it provides us with art, sanctuary and a place to gather our thoughts whilst we escape from a world governed by doom mongering scientists. But things are starting to get better and whilst things have been strange this past year with the pandemic, I for one am looking forward to seeing what is on the other side. A chance to explore more. I’ll take that for sure!

Blue Skies and colour within the landscape: Discovering the joys of spring time.

It does not seem like “five minutes ago” since we were in the midst of winter time, cold, frost and ice was marking the landscapes and the landscape around us looked bare - now though that is incredibly different as we have now entered the springtime, I say “entered the springtime” but that happened a number of weeks ago, last month to be precise in March. Yes I really did love capturing the winter scenes as the world was in it’s deep sleep of hibernation, and prior to that the closing chapter of autumn 2020 bought a closing chapter to the amazing theatrical show of seasons, those glorious autumnal scenes, gone but not forgotten; instead they were hiding away in that deep sleep ready to re-awaken for spring.

Spring though has a certain charm to it, a charm like autumn does and whilst the autumn time of 2020 bought with it a fantastic finale of colour which was symphonic, I dare say that so far this spring has also bought with it a symphonic awakening of colour with it, something which I have been incredibly thankful for, just seeing the world and nature awakening again is something to behold. Plants beginning to burst and the skies constantly changing. Of course though it goes without saying that so far spring has been rather strange.

Yes springtime this year (2021) bought some surprises as well as contrasts with it. On the one hand the awakening of life brought along a display of colours with it, from glorious daffodils and crocuses in church yards, to snow in early April. But let's go back to March, the first month of proper awakening after what has been a strange winter time due to restrictions and nonsensical measures against what is now an endemic virus that will never be truly eradicated. (Other viruses are endemic and can/have never been or will be eradicated). 

The month of March was one that I was thankful to see, and after the winter it was a welcome sight, a certain magic and celebration it brought along with it, walks through the woodlands and local parks meant for some interesting scenes to be captured, flowers that had woken up after being asleep throughout the winter, was the first thing that I noticed and they were the perfect tonic after the cold bitterness of winter 2020. Small but perfectly formed they were just telling me that things are going to get better, it is not a question of things getting better now but as time progresses and restrictions are eased over the next few months. A signal perhaps that maybe photography is also the perfect tonic and escapism from the virus that is the media, that gaslights us on a daily basis, and when you switch off the news you escape into some form of utopia. Okay so utopia is what the individual makes it and making your own utopia is the best thing possible especially when government scientists are peddling doom and gloom.

“If there is one thing that these doom and gloom merchant scientists (academics) should be doing it is to go back to their rightful academic institutions and not keep grabbing five minutes of fame every minute with nonsensical views and opinions that only end up stressing people out”.

Back to the first month of spring, and it was a month of noticeable changes, goodbye was said to the winter and something magical began to happen, that magic changed in the landscape and this year - like last year it was noticeable, too often in normal pre-pandemic times we have ignored and I for one have ignored the subtle changes in the landscape, but not this time. Instead this time around with this “new normal” I have been noticing subtle things and changes that I would have ignored if we had all been living within the hypothetical rat-race that we were all stuck within during the pre-pandemic world.

The most striking thing about March though was the contrasts in colour, a slight coldness from the winter still lingered around; but the raw beauty of the month of March is what struck me - from walks amongst floral displays within local parks, to seeking out the shapes and twists along with textures of woodland walks, it is an attack on the senses and one that I have cherished an awful lot.

"Through the trees"

"Wide wood opening"

"Standing Alone"

"Lying wood waits"

"Shallow Crossing"

"Spring Reflections"

"A perfect frame"

"The smooth of the landscape"

"Dance of the tree"

"Avenue of trees"

"A mystery awaits"

"A Hidden Valley"

"What is out there?"

"Swirling skies of spring"

"Life on the water"

"Under bridge glow"

"Waterfalls exist here"

"A Canal Life" - (Black and White).

"A Canal Life" - (Colour).

"Fire in the skies"

"He was a fun-guy"

"A Nottingham Panorama"

"A splash of spring"

"A floral arc"

"Alone in purple"

"Into Blue" - (Landscape).

"Into Blue" - (Portrait).

"Art of blue" - (Landscape).

"Art of blue" - (Portrait).

Whilst the first month of spring bought with it a certain charm and quality of calming and soothing colour and an awakening in nature from a strange winter, it goes without saying that April was one of many contrasts.

“Snow in springtime? Rare it is yes - but it has happened this year and that was something magical to see”

"Snow flurries in the woods"

"The magic of snow and the woods"

Whilst April started off with some snow (yes around Easter time) and felt cold, things started to change, and whilst March had been an explosion of colours, April also had some surprises and the best surprise in April was of course a slight heatwave, rare yes, but one that bought with it a certain glorious light that just made things perfect for photography. It was on a walk through some woodlands at the beginning of April, and a freak snow shower followed subsequently by literally ten minutes after the shower that the lighting conditions began to change; the light was streaming into the woodlands and the colour was vivid.

"Shapes of the wood" - (Colour).

"Shapes of the wood" - (Black and White)

"Tree morphs"

"Light through the trees" - (Black and White).

"Light through the trees" - (Colour).

But despite things being odd, what with the Snow, April has been one of big skies, sun and contrasts within the landscape and whilst I loved the colours of autumn, the colours within the landscape during spring have been equally impressive.

"The horizon line"

"The Crossing and Drama"

"Movement of the Alport Stone"

"Earth signals" - (Landscape).

"Earth signals" - (Portrait).

"Cascades of Belper"

"Floating Islands"

"A Perfect Horseshoe"

"Transmitting"

"Looking down the edge"

"On the rocks"

"Silent stone"

"Down the valley" - (Colour).

"Down the valley" - (Black and White).

"Cloud over the edge" - (Black and White).

"Cloud over the edge" - (Colour).

"Movement over the edges"

"Face of Curbar Edge"

"On edge" - (Landscape).

"On edge" - (Portrait).

"Echoes of stars" - (Black and White).

"Echoes of stars" - (Colour). 

"Canal flight"

"Contrasts of the Cromford canal" - (Landscape).

"Contrasts of the Cromford canal" - (Portrait).

"The water turned"

"A spring sun"

"Fire dance"

"A spring journey"

"Fire within landscapes"

"How are you blue?"

"Blue says hello to you"

"Sundown on the Lock"

"A Golden Life"

"X marks the spot"

What a month April really has been and it has much like the month of March, been one of discoveries, colour and blue skies within the landscape and that has got to be one of the best things about discovering the joys of spring time. For what now will the month of May hold as we approach the summer time? Either way though the lockdown(s) that we have had over the past year have given me the opportunity to take things slower and notice these interesting and intriguing things within the landscape creating a symphony as they come alive again, after a deep sleep and provide us with hope and sanctuary as we see what else is in store for the year.