SAN BERNARDINO NATIONAL FOREST IN AUTUMN
San Diego is a marvelous city and I am fortunate to live here, but sometimes I just miss the mountain air and being surrounded by trees. Big Bear, although is not like the Pacific Northwest, has been a decent substitute for when I need to cool down after a hot summer. My first Airbnb experience with in Big Bear several years ago and now it has been a place for me and my husband to take our kids.
This particular trip came about after nearly six months of inadequate sleep due to the addition of Baby Eva to the family. Feeling worn down, uninspired and lacking in motivation for much of anything besides feeding children and squeezing out ever bit of rest I could get, this getway was not just for rest but for me to pick up my camera again. I had taken a lot of pictures of my children, but I wanted to shoot something else. I wanted to do a super creative shoot. I wanted to take off my “Mom Hat” for just a little bit. As I ventured into the woods behind our Airbnb, camera in hand, I felt the same lack of inspiration. The weather for the weekend was in the mid 80’s and not the cool mid 60’s I was longing for. The trail was hot and dusty and sweat beaded across my forehead. I don’t own any hiking books and being that I wanted to look the part of a mountain trip, I brought the only other boots I had; my rain boots. They served me well to protect my feet from the dirt trail, but heat and rubber are not great together.
As I walked along the trail, my son running ahead of us, I looked around at all the different trees. Ah, the trees. How I missed seeing tall, ancient trees. Trees that create forests and overshadow the earth below. Once I started to notice the different trees I naturally started to take photos of the details of each truck. Some had regular patterns but other trees had details that had never seen on the the trees up in Washington. In that moment I had a little infusion of inspiration. Nothing too original, but it gave me something to capture that trip and granted me the opportunity to take photos. Something I sorely was in need of. Once I started taking different photos I tried to use the light and shadows to give the appearance that the trees were alive perhaps even breathing. I may have been a bit ambitious with my goal, but so my goals often are. Nevertheless, thinking in terms of a series of photos and having a new environment to photograph was a perfect antidote under the circumstances. Funny enough, my daughter started to sleep better after our weekend trip. Perhaps we all needed a change of scenery.
