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Purple Haze
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Purple Haze



Rolling out the purple carpet in the glade -- One of the most amazing miracles of bountiful, beautiful, beguiling Belgium...
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Rolling out the purple carpet in the glade -- One of the most amazing miracles of bountiful, beautiful, beguiling Belgium
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upload_dateApr, 2017

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3 Comments | Report
Kerry1 PRO+
 
Kerry1 July 12, 2017
Great photo :-))
peterburu Platinum
peterburu July 12, 2017
Thank you so much :)
zacharchibald
 
zacharchibald January 23, 2018
Superb colors!
peterburu Platinum
peterburu January 23, 2018
Thank you so much ;)
deborahlynnshoniker
 
deborahlynnshoniker July 20, 2020
stunning. love the backdrop too

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Tags

#hyacinths #nature #forest #Forest Floor #purple carpet #spring #spring time #The scenery just grabs you and won& #039;t let you go
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Behind The Lens

Location
I took this photo in Hallerbos (that is Dutch for Halle Forest), just outside Brussels, Belgium. This is a truly magical spot: Every Spring, the forest floor is covered by a bluebell carpet for a short period of time. As you can imagine, it attracts many a keen photographer and the paths can get quite crowded at times. This time around, i was lucky because this was a weekday and there were few people around. The weather was bright and sunny although bitterly cold (i can still vividly remember that my eye started to tear up as i was looking through the viewfinder for minutes). It was a magnificent time to be out there.
Time
I took this image at around one o'clock in the afternoon. I arrived in the forest at around 9h00 am, and as time went by, i was getting uncomfortable in the cold. I decided i just call it a day, but then i spotted this sapling in the glade, just off the path, standing proud in the sun, surrounded by the bluebells. I quickly framed the shot, adjusted the aperture to give the image a bit of depth and then pressed the shutter. Then dashed to the car and went home for some hot tea :)
Lighting
This image is an example of when NOT to take a photo: Early afternoon, bright sun, harsh lights, no shade, no textures... But the air was so fresh and crisp, the sun was finally out -- in Belgium you must appreciate every sunny minute of the day :) -- and the colour of the bluebells were so overwhelmingly bright that i felt that this was quintessentially Springtime. This is what I wanted to capture and convey with this image, so i exempted myself from the advice not to use midday light for photography.
Equipment
I used my then brand new Fuji XT-20, with the 56mm f1.2 lens attached to it. I did not use any tripods or other accessories: All hand-held and fingers crossed that it turns out OK :) Since then, the XT-20 and myself have become inseparable.
Inspiration
It was the sapling really: That brave youngster, right in the middle of the clearing... I asked myself: Are the big old trees watching over it? Are they there to protect it? Show an example? Or is it out there all by itself? I also recalled a TEDtalk by Suzanne Simard on how trees communicate with one another ( https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_simard_how_trees_talk_to_each_other ). Also, a song, Harlequin, by my fave prog rock band from my salad days, Genesis. I just felt that it all came together in one moment.
Editing
Just a touch, really. Since i wanted to conserve and convey the freshness and the Springtime feel, i went easy on editing: Bumped up the contrast and the saturation a tiny bit to compensate for the lack of textures, and that was it.
In my camera bag
My Fuji XT-20 and one or two primes, and a small Nissin i40 flashlight (which has a superb diffusor in the package. Lovely!). I do own a tripod but i just never feel like carrying it around (my fault! not the tripod's:). When moving to Fuji, i picked up prime lenses with it; i decided to steer clear of zoom lenses. I feel that primes make you "work" more, ie you have to move a lot more to get the framing that you want. Simultaneously, that makes me feel much better once i have the shot i wanted. Before heading out to shoot, i just check in my mind's eye what kind of images i want to make that day, and pick the prime lens that goes with it. In the beginning i felt constraints, but now it feels really liberating. And the Fuji lens line-up is just fantastic.
Feedback
Oh, that's tricky. Who am i to give advice to anyone? after all, i am just an enthusiastic pixel grabber... All i can say is that this neck of woods is a sublime spot; one of Belgium's secrets. The forest is marvellous by itself, but the bluebells -- plus the other plants that bloom pretty much at the same time -- make it simply miraculous. If you happen to be in Belgium in March / April / early May, make sure you check Hallerbos' website. They provide daily updates on the bluebell carpet. If you're lucky you get to see them for yourself! Make sure you come early in the morning, and prep yourself for a wonderful time out there!

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