by rain forest
My husband captured these images on one of his bicycle rides on the trails along the Seymour River on the mountain slopes of the North Shore of Vancouver. To me, there is something magical, otherworldly and captivating about these scenes. They make me think of some north European Romantic paintings of the early 19th century. We are so fortunate to have all this beauty in our backyard.
January 21, 2015 in Canada and BC, Photography by Marja-Leena
Because my eyes are still wonky, and I’m torn between whether or not to use specs, I am gaining great pleasure from staring into (rather than at) these photographs, and seeing all sorts of imagined forms. And the photographs are so three-dimensional. It is a source of wonder that so much that is beautiful and intriguing can be gained from a relatively ‘ordinary’ scene. The ordinary has become extraordinary. My thanks to your husband for the photography as well as you for sharing these pictures.
Tom, I’m so glad that these photos gave you such pleasure, even with ‘wonky’ eyes. They truly are special and all thanks go to my husband for taking them and sharing them, and I’ll pass on your kind words to him. Now, take care of those eyes!
I so agree with your description of these trees as magical and other-worldly – one could almost believe that they are elegant dancers wearing their casually draped mosses/lichens as they move gracefully the moment our eyes are turned away.
Olga, I love your image of elegant dancers.
There is also something about the square format too which entices.
That enticed me too, Olga, though I hesitated a little in posting them so large here.
Oh my goodness … how beautiful! The light is dim yet vibrant … there is a vigour in the branches …
Thanks, R! Yes, the light is amazing, shining as it does behind the trees to bring out contrast and the lines of the branches.
These pictures epitomize one of the things I loved most about southern BC that I’ve witnessed nowhere else and that’s the magic of the Great Forests that once covered most of the Northern Hemisphere. These are The Woods that the Elven People retreated through on the final journey to The West. If you keep your heart clear and your mind quiet you might be able to follow their path.
Susan, therein lies the magic! There is a primeval feel in these forests (even though this area is second growth, I think). All our rain makes these trees grow fast and tall and nourishes the gorgeous hanging moss that likely hides those Elven People.
Maria-Leena! Ah, I thought of Oregon always, when I pictured in my mind Ent-forests! And the hanging vines on branches in forests.
We happen to have a copy of Hermann Hesse’s Narziss and Goldmund (Penguin Modern Classics 1974) that has in front cover a picture of Tolkienish place, “The Abbey Under the Oaks” painted by Caspar David Friedrich. The painting is (or was) in Schloss Charlottenburg, Berlin, but I have no idea what’s the status of castles in today’s Berlin.
I have to ask from my friend who lives in Berlin. But the photo’s are really fine!
Ripsa, the spirits of Tolkien, Caspar David Friedrich and even Akseli Gallen-Kallela definitely came to my mind when I saw these photos!
Germany has numerous castles! Schloss Charlottenburg in Berlin is still there, we walked around the grounds and buildings when we visited Berlin for a couple of days in yr 2000. My husband’s paternal grandparents’ home was in Berlin.
P.S. Is this the painting you have on the cover of your book?