Rob Schop
Searching for Heather
This summer we spent our family holiday just over the border in Belgium. I always look for things to shoot once we’re settled, and knew that N.P. De Hoge Kempen was nearby. But little did I know that this area contains one of the biggest heather fields in Belgium, and this at only an half our drive! On a new location I always prefer to shoot around sunset or afternoon, since it is so much easier to come one time, find a composition while you actually can see something and last but not least, don’t have to set the alarm so terribly early. But with a few cold nights that were coming up, and such a landscape basically around the corner, I knew I had to go for it, and maybe find the little fairytale sceneries that we all know the heather fields for.
But the exact reasons as described above turned out the be my recipe for failure. After a very pleasant evening with a few drinks to many, waking up after 4 hours of sleep felt pretty rough. Nevertheless I always get over this quickly, because of the excitement of the upcoming photographic opportunities. During the drive I saw thin layers of fog appear and vanish again, and this triggered all my senses even more. By my arrival at the parking place things were all good, a few clouds and more than enough atmosphere to get exited about. The night before I had figured out that there was an easy hike of around 4km that would led me into the purple heater fields, and the information board confirmed this with a yellow route. But no hike is easy when you miss a sign while looking around at dawn for things to photograph, and after twenty minutes of only seeing red signs, I started to feel something wasn’t right. I went back and found the little yellow plate I’d just missed, but by the time I got into the field the best of the light was long gone, and with the clear blue sky that came in things wouldn’t get any better. I did get my gear out for one ‘ok’-shot, tried to reset my thought process and focussed on more intimate shots but the fact was I was mentally done for this shoot.
I do believe most of the best and meaningful shots come from a good mindset and not so much by planning, but with this type of photography it goes to show that good preparation can be very beneficial. I was lucky with one more cold night a few days later and decided to go back with almost the same conditions, but now knowing the exact spot. And even this time I had to work hard and fast to find a composition in time. I do like the way this shot and the rest of the morning turned out however, and am a bit curious about the way others handle these situations, photographing a large nature reserve for the first time. So any tips are welcome!
Thanks for having a look! All faves and comments are highly appreciated!
Searching for Heather
This summer we spent our family holiday just over the border in Belgium. I always look for things to shoot once we’re settled, and knew that N.P. De Hoge Kempen was nearby. But little did I know that this area contains one of the biggest heather fields in Belgium, and this at only an half our drive! On a new location I always prefer to shoot around sunset or afternoon, since it is so much easier to come one time, find a composition while you actually can see something and last but not least, don’t have to set the alarm so terribly early. But with a few cold nights that were coming up, and such a landscape basically around the corner, I knew I had to go for it, and maybe find the little fairytale sceneries that we all know the heather fields for.
But the exact reasons as described above turned out the be my recipe for failure. After a very pleasant evening with a few drinks to many, waking up after 4 hours of sleep felt pretty rough. Nevertheless I always get over this quickly, because of the excitement of the upcoming photographic opportunities. During the drive I saw thin layers of fog appear and vanish again, and this triggered all my senses even more. By my arrival at the parking place things were all good, a few clouds and more than enough atmosphere to get exited about. The night before I had figured out that there was an easy hike of around 4km that would led me into the purple heater fields, and the information board confirmed this with a yellow route. But no hike is easy when you miss a sign while looking around at dawn for things to photograph, and after twenty minutes of only seeing red signs, I started to feel something wasn’t right. I went back and found the little yellow plate I’d just missed, but by the time I got into the field the best of the light was long gone, and with the clear blue sky that came in things wouldn’t get any better. I did get my gear out for one ‘ok’-shot, tried to reset my thought process and focussed on more intimate shots but the fact was I was mentally done for this shoot.
I do believe most of the best and meaningful shots come from a good mindset and not so much by planning, but with this type of photography it goes to show that good preparation can be very beneficial. I was lucky with one more cold night a few days later and decided to go back with almost the same conditions, but now knowing the exact spot. And even this time I had to work hard and fast to find a composition in time. I do like the way this shot and the rest of the morning turned out however, and am a bit curious about the way others handle these situations, photographing a large nature reserve for the first time. So any tips are welcome!
Thanks for having a look! All faves and comments are highly appreciated!