Autumnal Kaleidoscope

Here in the UK, October marks a turning point when the warmth of summer slips away and the we start the journey into winter. The weather is changeable, with some lingering sunshine amidst the storms and other days of soft, damp greys. There is a quiet urgency to photograph the changing kaleidoscope of autumn colours before they are lost for another year.

I usually take photos when the light catches my eye, sparks of colour that stand out. I avoid the gloom of misty or rainy days. But recently I have just come across the work of the photographer Mary Jo Hoffman who has taken one nature-inspired photograph every day for over 12 years! On her daily walks, she collects objects from the natural world, and then shoots them against a white background in natural daylight. It is fascinating to listen to her talk about how this attentiveness to detail has helped her to See then ReSee the environment she encounters each day, and how her life is a work of art in itself.

Mary Jo's approach inspired me to try photographing autumn differently, not just chasing the light, but paying attention to the overlooked details and looking for natural compositions. I started with looking out of the window each day and taking photos of the weather. Misty mornings across the valley:

Our beautiful oak in the autumn wind and rain of Storm Amy:

and the colours of the acer leaves dancing in the wind in the low sunlight:

I have also enjoyed several walks in the October woodlands. There is so much to notice, from the autumn leaves to the bronzing ferns and the colourful fungi. Shades of yellow, orange and reds offer a glow in the increasingly chilly winds. I do like warmth. And to be warmed.

As the days grow shorter, I find myself leaning into that sense of attentiveness—what Mary Jo Hoffman calls radical incrementalism. The idea that small, repeated acts—of seeing, noticing, creating—can accumulate into something meaningful. A way of living as art. I found that going from the wider scene and then gradually homing in on tiny details helped me to reSee the familiar in a new way:

I would not have had the pleasure of watching this spider working in the sunlight if I had not tuned into the minutiae and looked closely:

On one walk, in Yarner Wood, I had the help of two very enthusiastic young fungi spotters! Not easy to slow down and take my time with the images, but it was such a joy to see their delight as they showed off what they had found for me!

I started to picture the fungi as if a part of a collage, not neat and tidy, but situated among the variety of woodland plants and fallen leaves.

But then some were just stars:

This season always brings reflection. How many more Autumns will I experience?

 As Shakespeare wrote:

That time of year thou mayst in me behold

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang

Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,

Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.

In me thou see'st the twilight of such day

We’ve recently lost one of the most inspiring voices for the natural world, Jane Goodall. Her words have always stayed with me: “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

That quote means a lot to me. I am feeling an ever-deeper connection to nature as I age. Through my photography, I try to capture and share just a glimpse of what makes her so special. And while I know I can’t change the world alone, I hope that through the choices I make and the actions I take — however small — I can contribute to the ongoing efforts to tackle climate change, especially here in our own local communities.

Another example of the celebration of the natural world through quiet observation can be found in this beautiful book "Secrets of a Devon Wood: My Nature Journal" by Jo Brown, which I was so fortunate to be given by a dear friend.

And on this link you can watch Ways to See ReSee by Mary Jo Hoffman

#mistandrain; #autumncolours; #fallingleaves; #naturalcollage; #autumndelights