J. Nathan Matias 🦣Last week, I rode out to the Hudson River and stopped by the boyhood home of W. E. B. Du Bois in Great Barrington MA.
It was a beautifully-peaceful place, and I'm so glad I took the time to pause and reflect.
Maikel de BakkerAfter weeks of staying in — weather, work, and life gently pulling me away from the outdoors — I returned to a familiar place. Early morning, 06:00. A quiet drive in my little yellow car, back to the Kampina.
And it welcomed me immediately.
As the sun began to rise, its light broke through the trees in long, defined beams, cutting through the lingering mist. What we see here is a beautiful example of light scattering: tiny water droplets suspended in the air make normally invisible sun rays visible, revealing the geometry of light itself. Without the mist, these beams would simply pass unnoticed.
The forest was still mostly dark, branches forming a natural frame — almost resisting the light, yet unable to stop it. That contrast is what drew me in. Light doesn’t just illuminate; it reveals structure, depth, and atmosphere.
Photographing this handheld meant working quickly. Light like this is fleeting — it shifts, softens, disappears. I used my Canon 5D Mark IV with the Sigma 100–400mm at approximately 1/250 sec, ISO 500, balancing stability and sensitivity in low morning light.
There’s something grounding about returning to a place you trust. No spectacle needed — just the quiet interaction between light, moisture, and time.
And this was only the beginning of that morning.
#Kampina #DutchNature #NatureInTheNetherlands
#SunriseLight #LightBeams #MorningMist
#AtmosphericLight #LightScattering #NaturePhysics
#ForestLight #MistyMorning #GoldenHourMoments
#NaturePhotography #LandscapePhotography #OutdoorMoments
#BackToNature #QuietMoments #NatureObservation
#Canon5DMarkIV #Sigma100400 #HandheldPhotography
#NaturalLight #LowLightPhotography
#EarthFocus #DiscoverNature #StayAndWander
#Pixelfed #PixelfedPhotography
#WonderingLens #ByMaikeldeBakker
#MoodyNature #ForestVibes #MorningWalk
#NatureLovers #VisualStorytelling
And it welcomed me immediately.
As the sun began to rise, its light broke through the trees in long, defined beams, cutting through the lingering mist. What we see here is a beautiful example of light scattering: tiny water droplets suspended in the air make normally invisible sun rays visible, revealing the geometry of light itself. Without the mist, these beams would simply pass unnoticed.
The forest was still mostly dark, branches forming a natural frame — almost resisting the light, yet unable to stop it. That contrast is what drew me in. Light doesn’t just illuminate; it reveals structure, depth, and atmosphere.
Photographing this handheld meant working quickly. Light like this is fleeting — it shifts, softens, disappears. I used my Canon 5D Mark IV with the Sigma 100–400mm at approximately 1/250 sec, ISO 500, balancing stability and sensitivity in low morning light.
There’s something grounding about returning to a place you trust. No spectacle needed — just the quiet interaction between light, moisture, and time.
And this was only the beginning of that morning.
#Kampina #DutchNature #NatureInTheNetherlands
#SunriseLight #LightBeams #MorningMist
#AtmosphericLight #LightScattering #NaturePhysics
#ForestLight #MistyMorning #GoldenHourMoments
#NaturePhotography #LandscapePhotography #OutdoorMoments
#BackToNature #QuietMoments #NatureObservation
#Canon5DMarkIV #Sigma100400 #HandheldPhotography
#NaturalLight #LowLightPhotography
#EarthFocus #DiscoverNature #StayAndWander
#Pixelfed #PixelfedPhotography
#WonderingLens #ByMaikeldeBakker
#MoodyNature #ForestVibes #MorningWalk
#NatureLovers #VisualStorytelling
On the best days, the chance to be out in nature and reflect has been an opportunity to experience the transcendent. That was true today when I finally got outside after the air pollution finally cleared after ten days.
Spent the ride thinking about William Blake, and what we can do to break the mind-forge manacles of our world.
>> In every cry of every Man,
>> In every Infants cry of fear,
>> In every voice: in every ban,
>> The mind-forg'd manacles I hear
After brief hopes of going on a ride, the fog and air pollution in Ithaca returned to the thick levels that have made it nearly impossible for me to safely venture out for over a week.
So it’s back to indoor training for me, sigh. #outdoormoments.
In what I can only imagine is an homage to Ken Burns’s documentary on the American Revolution, neighbors have put up a sculpture of a continental army officer… on a chocobo skeleton
BARWildlife 📍BAWÜZwei eindrucksvolle Hirsche stehen sich in einem herbstlichen Wald gegenüber. Ihre mächtigen Geweihe sind ineinander verhakt, während sie in einer eindrucksvollen Kraftprobe um Dominanz oder Revier kämpfen. Das warme Licht und die goldenen Blätter verleihen der Szene eine dramatische, fast magische Atmosphäre.
Two impressive stags face each other in an autumn forest. Their powerful antlers are locked as they engage in a dramatic clash for dominance or territory. The warm light and golden leaves add a striking, almost magical atmosphere to the scene.
#Hirschkampf
#Rothirsche
#Waldleben
#Wildtiermoment
#Wildtierbeobachtung
#Naturfotografie
#Naturzauber
#Waldmagie
#Tierwelt
#Tierfotografie
#WildlifePhotography
#Naturerlebnis
#Herbstwald
#Herbstfarben
#Waldliebe
#Naturpur
#Naturliebe
#Waldspaziergang
#Tierschutz
#WildlifePerfection
#Waldmomente
#Naturmoment
#WilderWald
#Wildnis
#Naturwunder
#Naturverbunden
#OutdoorMoments
#DeutschlandNatur
#Waldtiere
#Geweih
#Hirschbrunft
#StagFight
#RedDeer
#ForestLife
#WildlifeMoment
#AnimalEncounter
#NaturePhotography
#NatureMagic
#ForestMagic
#Wildlife
#AnimalPhotography
#WildlifePhotography
#NatureExperience
#AutumnForest
#AutumnColors
#ForestLovers
#PureNature
#NatureLovers
#ForestWalk
#WildlifeProtection
#WildlifePerfection
#ForestMoments
#NatureMoments
#Wilderness
#NatureWonder
#OutdoorLife
#NatureConnection
#WildAnimals
#ForestAnimals
#Antlers
#DeerRut
Two impressive stags face each other in an autumn forest. Their powerful antlers are locked as they engage in a dramatic clash for dominance or territory. The warm light and golden leaves add a striking, almost magical atmosphere to the scene.
#Hirschkampf
#Rothirsche
#Waldleben
#Wildtiermoment
#Wildtierbeobachtung
#Naturfotografie
#Naturzauber
#Waldmagie
#Tierwelt
#Tierfotografie
#WildlifePhotography
#Naturerlebnis
#Herbstwald
#Herbstfarben
#Waldliebe
#Naturpur
#Naturliebe
#Waldspaziergang
#Tierschutz
#WildlifePerfection
#Waldmomente
#Naturmoment
#WilderWald
#Wildnis
#Naturwunder
#Naturverbunden
#OutdoorMoments
#DeutschlandNatur
#Waldtiere
#Geweih
#Hirschbrunft
#StagFight
#RedDeer
#ForestLife
#WildlifeMoment
#AnimalEncounter
#NaturePhotography
#NatureMagic
#ForestMagic
#Wildlife
#AnimalPhotography
#WildlifePhotography
#NatureExperience
#AutumnForest
#AutumnColors
#ForestLovers
#PureNature
#NatureLovers
#ForestWalk
#WildlifeProtection
#WildlifePerfection
#ForestMoments
#NatureMoments
#Wilderness
#NatureWonder
#OutdoorLife
#NatureConnection
#WildAnimals
#ForestAnimals
#Antlers
#DeerRut
Grateful for the chance to ponder safety questions from the relative security of an autumn evening in the central New York countryside.
Rode today from Nebraska City to Omaha, to catch up with @ethanz for lunch. Crossing the Missouri at sunrise & traveling gravel farm roads was magical.
I also visited the grave of Amelia Bloomer, 19th century designer & activist. Bloomer realized that the work of achieving the fullness of women’s capabilities was a matter of norms, law, & also design- that women had the power to re-design their place in the world by changing the design of clothes. #OutdoorMoments
