You can see the VLOG to the BLOG at the bottom of the page or you can reach it via this button:
Gear:
Sony a7IV
Sony FE 2.8/16–35 mm GM
Sony FE 4/24–105 mm G
Sony FE 100–400 mm GM
DJI Mini 3 Pro
Google Maps has often let me down when it comes to navigating to a more remote location. All the standard spots that have already been photographed by God and the world can also be found by the Google service, but when it comes to places that are less well-known or further away from civilization, it sometimes brings you to a dead end. As an example, I once wanted to go to a viewing rock that was easy to hike to from one side. From the other side, steep walls went up vertically. Google navigated me safely to the foot of the cliff and said only 100m from here. Well, only horizontally… but unfortunately 300m vertically uphill. Unfortunately, I’m not that kind of mountaineer. Sometimes, however, Google Maps had paths on its maps that simply didn’t exist. But for this spot, which I wanted to head for this morning, it had no solution at all. Nor any images in Google Earth, Street View or similar.
But there must be something there, you can see from the satellite images that there is photographic potential here. For some time now, I’ve also been using other apps and services to scout locations. One of these is Komoot. So the evening before, I opened the outdoor navigation app and zoomed into the area where I had discovered this pond. It was somewhat exposed in the middle of a dense forest, or so it seemed. However, Komoot hadn’t plotted a route to my destination either, but suggested heading towards the back of the forest from my starting point. I zoomed in a little closer to be able to recognize something in the satellite images. Then Koomoot suddenly shows me a picture. Aha! I open the picture and see a cell phone snapshot of a crooked footbridge in front of a pond. There you go. You get there, otherwise there wouldn’t be a picture.
I read the caption of the picture: “The forbidden pond”. Okay. In the worst-case scenario, it could happen that the path there is closed. Whether I break the law for the photo is up to me. I wouldn’t do it just to take a photo. I also don’t fly a drone if it’s explicitly not allowed. That’s just the way I am. I respect laws and regulations and still come home with successful pictures and satisfaction. There’s always the option of taking pictures in the fog in the forest. At least according to the weather forecast. I close the apps, adjust my clothes and photo backpack and go to sleep.
I take into account the uncertainty of the route and set off a little earlier. It’s still pitch black, but the fog is all around me. The foggy atmosphere is just right for the “spooky” pond I’m heading for. It gets really dark when I enter the forest. I am surrounded by an astonishing silence. It seems as if nature and the animal world are still asleep. Only my footsteps can be heard as I make my way deeper into the forest on the gravel paths. The route actually turns out to be a little longer than expected.
I could see great compositions everywhere and trees to the left and right, which I could take later on the way home if there was still a bit of fog. Interesting details, such as mushrooms, could also make for some nice shots, I thought to myself and walked on. Then I reached the point where the trail turns right into the forest and then continues straight on towards the pond. Incidentally, Maps stopped suggesting a route at this point. Komoot, however, navigated me a few hundred meters deeper into the forest.
Here the forest took on an increasingly spooky atmosphere. For the first few meters, the path was still clearly visible. Apparently used as a wooden path, it became narrower meter by meter until it became a small, slightly trodden path. So there are always visitors, or even hikers, who get lost here. The forest thinned out, but the path became less and less recognizable as a path and the sound of wading under my feet became louder. I was on moorland, or at least something like it. The rain of the last few days and the general dampness of this place made for wet shoes. The waterproofing will show whether my feet will stay dry.
I actually reach the pond, or at least I can already see it. However, there is one last hurdle to overcome. A small bridge, crooked, old, partly rotten and extremely slippery, despite the tread of my hiking boots. I put my camera in my rucksack and carefully creep over it. I notice how the wood creaks. Every step with care, as the wood is incredibly slippery, one last hop. Done.
From here, the last few meters are over wooden planks that lie on the ground or partially sink in. Every single one of them is as slippery as the worst black ice. With every step over these planks, I realize how lucky I was not to have slipped off the bridge. But I have made it. I have found the pond.
The first few minutes were all about looking around, soaking up the surroundings. What makes this place special? What is worth photographing? How can I photograph it to capture the character of the place in my pictures? These questions help you to find the photo that best represents a place.
Now that the picture ideas have been agreed with myself, I start to position the camera roughly in my hand. Just like in the forest, a few centimeters make a big difference. In the vlog, as well as in the gallery below, I have included various attempts so that you can compare them. A lower positioning emphasizes the foreground more, a higher positioning shows more of the pond. I tried to avoid too much sky, which was unfortunately only white due to the fog, in the pictures, or at least to use only the necessary amount for a nice picture composition.
Once I know roughly where the camera should be positioned, I take the tripod and determine the final composition. Minimal changes are of course not excluded. Then I take the picture. It has to be said that there was actually very little space to position myself and the camera.
This and all other shots of this post you can request under “Prints” as an art print for your wall at home directly from me.
When the pictures were taken, I wanted to take the opportunity to find some fog in the forest to take some pictures. But unfortunately the fog had receded from the forest. I could only find fog at the edges of the forest. But I kept my eyes open on the way home and even managed to get a nice shot of an interesting mushroom.
In today’s VLOG/BLOG I’m walking through unknown territory and with a bit of luck I’ll try to take some nice pictures. Is there anything that could be portfolio-worthy? Feel free to write it in the comments! Have fun looking at them!
Feel free to share:
EN 
DE 
