Hoarfrost
by Franck Bellœil (France)

I discovered woodland photography only a few years ago. Living in Brittany, I've always been more drawn to seascapes and to tell the truth, the forests around my home town are mainly plantations and they never attracted me that much. But in 2020, something happened that forced us all to look at our close environnement under a different light. When eventually, the 1 km rule that the government had imposed on us was lifted, I realized that the closest pockets of nature within the authorized radius were forests.
I found out that I actually loved the long walks among the trees, camera in hand. Although at first, I found it difficult, I enjoyed the challenge this complex environnement represents, as well as the hours spent exploring. It also helped my photography, because if there is an environment where light is key, it's in woodlands. Without it, it's just chaos. In forest, light reveals compositions as much as weather conditions: fog, frost, snow or even rain become your allies.

This is not yet a project. It may become one in the future but for now, it's a collection of photographs with a common theme : light interaction with trees. I shot this photograph in winter, during one of the rare hoarfrost episodes we had this year. It's usually too warm in Brittany to have snow or frost, but every now and then, when a freezing arctic wind blowing from the east, manage to get to us, we may have one or two days like this. So you'd better be ready because the frost won't survive the day. I had no idea of what my subject would be when I arrived. I just picked the spot randomly in my local forest so I had no preset ideas. Sometimes, I simply follow the light until I see a scene that pleases my eye : No expectations, no disappointment. Here, I saw a potential image. It was just a matter of waiting for the frozen branches of this tree to catch the light. Meanwhile, I refined the composition : one step to right to get that twig out of my frame, extending the tripod to shoot above the tall grass etc

70-200mm , tripod

black and white convertion in LR