November greetings everyone, and wow, I can’t believe I’m saying that! We’re really getting down do it here in terms of winding up 2025. And I’d be lying if I didn’t use the words “challenging, difficult, and stressful” as summarizations, to say the least. But, I must remind myself that there has been a fair amount of fun and good memories made as well. And I’d also be wise to keep in mind the old adage that “nothing that is worth it is easy.”
These thoughts make this weeks’ photo highlight quite fitting. I feel like I’ve been doing nothing but trying to “find my way” of late, as if we aren’t always doing that to some degree of truth in our lives…
“Find Your Way” - Bald Eagle State Forest, PA
“It has been some time since I’ve stilled this scene. In fact it is one of the oldest in my professional portfolio that I still hold near the top as some of my best work. An oldie but a goodie, if you will. Circa October 2011, I’m pretty confident off the top of my head, as it came at a time when the way finding I was doing was due to a recent relationship break-up I was having a very difficult time with.
It happened in mid-August and I can recall desperately wanting the Autumn to arrive as I looked for anything to make a difference in my surroundings. And I felt the change of seasons held the greatest promise of distraction to get me back out there, so to speak.
Although the Autumn still proved to be an emotional time for me, I did begin to get back out there and got lost in my Art for a while. This was the Fall before I would have my first backpacking adventure in the Spring of 2012, thusly all of my work was still coming via day hikes in and around the mountains of central Pennsylvania, home. I remember this October provided some brilliant foliage for a couple week period in my nearby haunts, and I took every opportunity I could to immerse myself in it!
On this particular afternoon I headed out deep into what is known as the Seven Mountains, towards Poe Valley and Poe Paddy State Parks in Bald Eagle State Forest lands. I had driven past this area a couple times already the previous week and noticed the bright red beginning to flame. The rainy, foggy conditions of the day made me feel if this grove of what I had originally thought was Red Maple was still on fire, it could be magical!…
Well, it was. And upon closer investigation, I realized these were not Maple trees at all and would later identify them as Sourwood. I spent some time there in the late afternoon examining the area and reveling in the mysticism that surrounded me everywhere I turned.
As the sunset drew closer and light was waning quickly, the atmosphere got even more photogenic. The fog thickened as it crept through the trees of this glowing red forest. Peering deep into the soul of these woods, as I recall, the internal turmoil and pain were absent and I felt a clarity I hadn’t in sometime.
Call it corny and cliché if you must, but I remember vividly in that moment knowing that it was through this veil I must go. And I do strongly feel this is one of those defining moments in my journey - as a photographer, as an artist, as a person.
Fast forward almost 15 years now and I still love to get lost in this forest. And so do many of you it seems - it has been a favorite of admirers and collectors from the moment I first shared it, through to this day.
There is just something about the eerie beauty of its enchantment and the magic of its mystery that beckons one to walk right into it. Go on ahead… ‘Find Your Way’”
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If you’ve made it back out of there yet, thank you for your time and I hope you found it enriching in some manner for yourself. And if you checked out that short and anti-climactic video (Lol!) I attached on my Halloween post, thank you, there was a point to that - I want to incorporate more of my video I take while out there into the website and blog and so I wanted/need to test out a few things on my end.
There’s still one more Autumn Photograph I want to highlight yet, so be on the lookout for that most likely next week! Until then, let’s keep on hiking on through…
All my best,
Brandon