Adventures in the Mysterious Forest

Ok, how does this go again? “It was a dark and mysterious day.”

No, wait, that’s not right.

“It was a day like any other as we started our journey, but then as we ascended into the mountains a dark cloud descended”.

Too Dramatic?

Ok, poetic licence aside, it was actually a pretty nice day when we headed out on our journey. The sun was shining and it was the beginning of spring. We checked the weather forecast and all looked good, se we decided we’d head to the mountains, for a nice peaceful walk.

“That’s when things started to get mysterious.”

Ok, inner monologue, just stop it!

Seriously though, as we got higher into the Wicklow mountains and approached our destination, the Glendalough National Park, a cloud had descended. The sunshine was replaced by a low hanging gloom, which in a way actually worked. Our plan for a nice stroll turned into something out of the Witcher. But I guess that would work too.

The trees were still bare and covered with moss after their long winter slumber. With the overcast clouds, this soft light added to the feel of some kind of fantasy story. So I embraced it and tried to capture the feeling. It actually wasn’t too hard, as all you had to do was pint the camera in the right direction, and nature took care of the rest. Actually the biggest difficulty was keeping the throngs of tourists out of the frame.

I actually shot loads, so this is just a small selection of the “mysterious journey through the dark and stormy woods…. “ (movie trailer voice)

Ok, seriously, it has to stop…

Behind the scenes

These were all shot on a Fuji X-E4, with 18-55 f/2.8-4 Lens. Processing was done in Lightroom after using the “Enhance” function to pre-process the Raw files. Provia was the film simulation colour profile used as a base. I then colour graded the files using a variety of techniques to add more green and create a moody vibe to the photos.


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