Excellent tribute to such a special place. Having experienced the area with you on a workshop, I appreciate what the area means. Thank you for sharing. Andy
@@asivitter9826 I'd like to echo Andy's comments above, great tribute to a special place for you. I too enjoyed my time up there with you. The video also reminds us we need to get out more and enjoy the areas around us, and the photograph/document those areas that interest us and have special memories.
As another client of your workshop to that special woodland, it’s sad to see what happened to it. Without your images and teaching it would have passed without anybody knowing it. Now we have some precious memories and fresh inspiration to find our own places.
Really moving mate. Lovely video! As sad as it is, you now have some images of an area which will never look the same again, and you've rescued them in some form. They will be even more precious to you going forward I would imagine.
Many thanks, buddy! Yeah, I'm delighted with some of my images from there, grateful for the time I've enjoyed and the videos I've made. Valley Stories III has pride of place in the new house ;-)
As the wonderful poet Mary Oliver said, "Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." You have done that in spades for your sweet corner of the earth. Find some solace in that Simon, and thanks for sharing.
I know the feeling. My local area has been logged twice since I started photographing there. For fire control I'm told. That doesn't make it any less devastating.
Brought back the song from the early 70s, Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchel - a few lines - "They paved paradise And put up a parking lot They took all the trees Put 'em in a tree museum And they charged the people A dollar and half just to see 'em Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got Till its gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot" Thanks to you Simon in this case we still have the images - Bravo
Very emotional video Simon. Thank you. That final drone clip of the dead tree amidst it's onlooking brothers and sisters got me right in the heart. That deserves a print in itself.
A fantastic tribute to the woodland that has been a sanctuary for you Simon and which has provided numerous opportunities to showcase your talent. Allow yourself a degree of sadness, if only for each of the wonderful trees that have been lost. Equally, take your memories with you, nobody can take those from you and they will last a lifetime.
The quality of your production is incredible. My wife was devastated last year, the forest less than a mile up the hill from home a huge swathe of it was hacked down, places where we have excellent photos of our (adult) kids.
So sad, but what a collection of stories and images recorded and captured for all to continue enjoying. A tribute to the forest, engraving its memories for ever.
I got emotional watching this. It is clear how much this place means to you and having followed your journey for a while now i feel some attachment to it as well. Great memories and moving tribute!
I did not realize how many years I have been subscribed to your channel! But, I am completely heartbroken that this beautiful woodland has now been destroyed! That was a bit of magic for me and I am sickened that it is gone forever! You are correct, enjoy the woods when we encounter them. Nothing lasts forever... Sean
This was beautiful Simon. The forest may be forever changed, but the memories will allow you to relive all the wonderful times of this special place. Thanks for sharing your special place and your memories over the last 4 years.
Sad to see all this beauty slowly disappear. You’ll have to keep exploring, and find new magical places to photography. The view of the dead tree from the drone at the end is simply magnificent.
How fortunate that you were able to document this special spot, along with your recovery and a happy growing Meg!! A beautiful compilation! Thanks for sharing!
A few years ago a friend told me that I should watch a skit on the game of golf performed by Robin Williams ( pretty funny btw) on something called TH-cam. When I was finished watching the skit something called "Landscape and Woodland Photography with Simon Baxter" caught my eye. Since I love outdoor photography I decided to watch it. The scene that stuck with me most is when the drone is returning to the camera position and passes by that beautiful fallen tree. The image burned into my brain and I was mesmerized. You are the reason I am still visiting TH-cam and other vloggers/photographers. And yes, it is sad to see that fallen tree, and the others, taken from where they should be... I know that change can be good, but sometimes, not so much. Thanks, Simon.
Some great memories there Simon I can feel your connection to this special place but for me the times you have spent there together with Meg will endure mate, and of course your wonderful images of your favourite woodland.
The old disappears, but the new will come. Maybe the right moment for a photography project about the rebirth of the forest. Created for the next 20 years.
What a glorious and bittersweet video. As upsetting as it is for you and all of us to see your favourite scenes become destroyed, I am confident that you will stand at the edge of the woodland, let out an ancient roar and commence the last march of the ents, fully clad in Patagonia gear. The trees still grow and the birds still sing.
I find solace in the woods. It pains me to see a huge old beauty fallen by natural sources much less taken by man. Your woodland photography is what attracted me to your channel, that and Meg.
Devastating to see such a beautiful area being torn down, but as viewers of your channel we have been able to truly enjoy it and this video is a stunning reminder of your love for the area and woodlands in general. It's also a great reminder for me to never take things for granted. Thanks so much for sharing Simon.
I am SO satisfied I bought the last of the largest prints available of Valley Stories III, during your lockdown-sale. I feel quite honored to have purchased a work from a fellow photographer. I some time ago got interest in photographing woods again, which equals returning to my roots, considering photographing the local forests is what sparked my thus far over 13 years old passion. Thaink ya, for making this and others orks of yours exist. Photoly greetings Klaus Lehrmann Denmark
A really moving vlog,that last set of images said it all ! I wish that we could value these areas for more than just an economic reason,their therapeutic value is far greater,and once gone the area is never the same again ! Hopefully you will find new grounds that offer up a trove of equally stunning images as the ones this forest gave you !
Hey Simon, sorry to hear that this stunning woodland is going to be logged. At least you have taken some stunning images of it’s beauty which will help it be remembered and hopefully add further significance to their capture - it will never be the same again. That final drone shot tells a very poignant story - wow! Thanks for sharing in both video and the blog post.
A typically sincere understated tribute to a beautiful location . So sad to see Man impacting so traumatically . You , however, have done those trees proud
Thanks for this video, it hits really close to home for me. My aunt has a summer house outside of the city I live in, like 20 km away. The house is just by a forest which is not that big, to walk from one end to the other is around 5-7km. But I've spent 31 summer holidays there and I've seen trees grow , seen them die, seen them being struck by lightnings. It's the only place I have that I can go to to take some time off from everyday fuss, breathe, stare into the deep, wave my hands like an idiot, whatever. I love taking pictures of it, though they're nowhere near perfect or even good sometimes but it's like photographing your kid, just random shots of places I can later look at or want to remember. They've recently started to cut patches in that forest, like squares of 100x100 metres, apparently to "make the forest younger". There was a big beech tree that we used to call "the tree of wishes" back in the day and would randomly hug it and make a wish. I'm a 32 year old guy and even today it's still too wide to even hug the half of it's diameter. But it died last year so they'll probably cut it down soon, if they haven't already. The forest is also a place where one of the biggest battles of WWI took place so it's full of trenches, holes and even has a small cemetery. There's also a small military base in the middle, not that heavily guarded. So in a sense you feel like someone's always watching, even if they aren't. Going there tomorrow, just to say hi :)
One of your best videos to date Simon.... Heartfelt and a wonderful story of your connection to this special place ..... Beautiful images, full of emotion ..... and that little ending sequence with the scene as it is today combined with the drone top down view .... I'd go as far as to say one of my favourite vlogs of the year so far .... Thanks for sharing
I come from a place where trees are grown as crops and the woodlands that aren’t farmed are subject to regular hurricanes, so I understand the heartbreak of losing the magic of a special place. My deepest condolences to you. There is something comforting about knowing life forms that were there before we were born and will be there after we are long gone. To witness their lives interrupted is difficult. Take a little comfort in the fact that your photos have enabled people, who would otherwise have never known such a place even existed, to share in that beauty. You have told a little of their story and I, for one, am grateful.
Wonderful to see those again, Simon, so beautiful and so funny watching Meg too. But that final drone pull away shot? Sorry, don’t know techy terms, suffice to say is extremely poignant and powerful at the same time...brought a cry to my eye!
Simon I loved this video. The mood created by the fog in the woodlands there was fantastic!! So peaceful and quiet. I love to photograph on foggy days because of the extraordinary mood it creates. You did a great job of making me want to be in those woodlands though I am too far away in the U.S. Thank you for sharing the peaceful moments there in those woodlands. Some of favorite photos that I have done over the years have been in the fog and misty weather. To echo what one of the viewers Rachel Talibart said about that drone shot at the end. WOW!!!! That was a fantastic view of the forest. Excellent work!!!
Superb mate. Last drone shot is epic. I recall camping as a teenager up at GBro Nab area (that was the time some locals shot at us with air rifles - but that’s another story !) and it all being wooded and my shock at returning and it had all been felled.
That shot at 5:40 is simply beautiful. Thank you for it, and for your story and for your photos. I've also had a wood like this, my headspace. I can walk it now just by closing my eyes. I've had to leave it behind for more than a decade now, and I struggle to enjoy new spaces because they don't welcome me straight away like my partilar Shropshire walk-woods. New places - beautiful as they might be - don't live up to my trail, my wood, and my trees. The last time I had the chance to walk my woods was 4 years ago, and it'd been a fair while since before. My favourite place, you can't see it until you crest quite a steep rise after climbing a fair few hundred feet. This last time, it'd been clear-felled. You can't see it until you've done the climb. Before, I'd be greeted by a stand of birches and pines, and would work my way round to an overlook that gives you eyes over several Shropshire valleys - and a little bench my dog used to stand on and stop me from sitting down. Clearing that rise, that last time, I knew it wasn't my space any more. It never was (I guess the Crown owns it, really), but by clearing the lot, that chapter was finished. No trees were left standing, and the bench had been replaced and moved. There are new shoots all over - it'd been a season or two since felling; new life was everywhere. For anyone making that climb, they'd have to need clearing of the foulest of moods not to be moved. It's really a lovely place now. But it's not unchanging like my memory of it is. And, it'll be a long time - if ever - I'll get the chance to walk those woods again. This would be a good chance to remind myself to get to know new places, and find new sanctuaries. But, the sting of cleared temples doesn't really go away.
Here in my part of the world I am surrounded by thousands of hectares of commercial pine plantations and they are always harvesting trees somewhere. And at about 25 -30 years old they clear fell entire blocks. So I can certainly relate to the situation you have there. Hopefully it’s only a thinning operation and not a clearance. Thanks for sharing your time Simon. This journey will continue.
I also recognize your feelings like no other. I also experience that suddenly a part of a beautiful forest is cut down. I still understand the reason why people do this (sometimes). What I see, however, is that those who cut down have absolutely no respect for nature. With large machines, the ground is driven completely to pieces. So not only the trees disappear, but the forest as a whole is also destroyed. "It all grows back up!" Is the excuse. Oke, I am 70 years old so I and will never see that forest again as I have seen and experienced it. Fortunately, we still have the images and hope that our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy them 'later'. Incidentally, I have been a donor to Trees for Life for years and I still assume that many of my contributions are planted in Scotland and the UK. Good luck and please continue to make videos and photos with your dog ...
Probably the finest video I've seen you produce. Somber and inspirational, it made me feel your pain. Not only a great photographer, but great film maker as well. 5 stars!!!
A beautiful tribute to this special place. Thank you for showing me around during my visit (a long time ago now!). I’m glad I got to see it in its prime.
Thank you for this tribute video. I know how it feels to see place you are strongly connected to being slowly destroyed. There's also a message of hope somewhere, I guess, as long as there are still enough people feeling this way.
Lovely vlog, full of memories and storytelling. What strikes me is both your stunning woodland photography and how much a constant, cheering companion Meg is. Her joy at being out with her hooman is heart warming.
Just binge watching you channel as I had plenty of videos to catch on, hence the late comment... Beyond this specific example, it just shows (as you've said) that you should really enjoy the time you spend in your favorite spots. And as a photographer, yet another reminder that you never regret having taken pictures with which you are not completely satisfied, but rather those photos *not* taken, no matter the type of photography. I personally have told myself so many times "The light's not perfect", "I'm too tired/hungry/cold" or plain laziness ("I've just put my camera back in my backpack") as justifications for not taking a picture or simply not going where I know deep down I should go shoor. Of course, the next day/week/month, there's always an excuse and I end up not taking any picture. In my case, as a full-time traveler, that also often means possibly never ever going back, or do so only years later, when the place has changed a lot. This woodland was wonderful and obviously very special to you, but fortunately you can have the satisfaction of having enjoyed it hopefully as much as you could, and having immortalized it with your beautiful work. When someone decides to mount an exhibition about the history of the local woodlands, even if it takes decades for that to happen, there is no doubt your pictures and videos will be the centerpiece of it. Now, excuse me if I leave some videos unwatched for the moment, but I feel the urge to go for a walk in the nearby woods. PS: Flies may be a good option, but I personally find protein bars tastier ;)
It's a sad watching this. But your message is a good one. The story has also reminded me that as photographers we do collectively have a responsibility to record the changing landscape. Thanks for sharing this very touching video with us all.
P.S. Your use of the drone camera in such tight spaces as a woodland adds so much to the visceral experience of your videos! It helps me "feel" the location so much!!
Simon, this felt a bit emotional even though I have'tt been to this place but having followed you closely, I always felt that I was watching those trees, the valley and felt a connection like I do with my local place here. Every photograph from this woodland is a masterpiece and I loved the way you paid tribute to this special place in a special way. Have enjoyed every bit of your video today and in the past, I hope you will have another place very soon, where you will feel the same as you felt here. This was the best video . Thank you.
Hi Simon... I'm so sorry to hear what is happening to one of your favourite woodlands and a place that means so much to you and holds many memories. My wife and I recently bought a 5 acre piece of ancient woodland down here in Cornwall and I love exploring it, looking for compositions inspired from watching your videos. If you ever find yourself down here in Cornwall, please do look me up and I'll be more than happy to share some time with you exploring our woods.
So sad to see the forest go. I especially like the Treebeard tree. It will be missed. So glad it was there for you when you needed it. The images and videos you have of the place are even more precious now. Glad you have those memories, Simon! Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the forest and your photography.
Great to see your look back at such a beautiful area, after replanting and when the area tidies up again it will become a new place with some old friends to see in new surroundings, great video
Thanks for this video. It was so good to see some of your old highlights but sad to see such an old friend be so rapidly destroyed, hopefully it will open up other opportunities though. It is perhaps a permanent reminder of our own temporary/ transient nature here too!
Shocking to think that special place is no longer the same but thankfully you have beautifully documented the way it was for all of us for all time. Well done Simon! This was a very moving message and visual.
I can totally identify - I went through both outrage and grief when they started logging an area of one of our National Parks. A beautiful spruce forest chopped down to return nature to it's previous state 90 years earlier. Heartbreaking - but you tell your story so well Simon - a fitting tribute.
Great video Simon, very moving, I'm really appreciating that I live on the edge of Ashdown Forest, and I must not take it for granted. Drone shot of the fallen tree at the end was very poignant too.
Thank you for sharing this episode Simon. What I take from this is that things Change. One is well advised not to treat one's environment with indifference - it may change all of the sudden, and all that remains are one's memories. Speaking of change, may I state an observation: fast-forwarding throught this clips and through the years, it seems to be a display of your own change Simon. From somewhat ruggedly and straight-foward (I exaggerate) to more sensible and deliberate. I'm inclined to think spending the time in the woods doing what you do changes you. And by that this place persists in some other form.
You and Meg have walked-and played in!-many a mile in this inspiring, ancient space. You have your memories and your images, treasures you'll have forever. Thank you for re-sharing scenes from previous videos; they reminded me that your music choices are always spot on. The last shot of the fallen tree speaks volumes.
All things must pass ..... just glad I had the privilege of visiting the location with you in its prime. Nice selection of atmospheric misty videos ... makes you realise how well it suits pine forests in particular. A sad tale ..... but at least you have some memorable images.
Wow Simon this video is so good in so many ways and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. Beautiful atmospheric woodland scenes. Poignant story of the forest and your history with it. And of course the beautiful photographs. I do hope they don't totally ruin your woodland. They did some logging in my local woodland, an ancient forest. When they started I was gutted. But they were simply doing forest management so they just thinned out the trees allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor. It actually improved the woodland as flora began to flourish for the first time in ages. Lets hope its a similar plan in your forest. 🤞
Lovely video. It is a sad fact that many of our forests are there because of our hunger for wood and wooden products. Hopefully this one will be replaced. Although it will take a long time before any replacement could look like this. Nice to see those images again. Thanks
Thanks Simon. A beautiful tribute to a wonderful place. Sad that harvesting has started in the area. Such a privilege to have spent a day in those woods with you during a workshop last year. All the very best. Steve.
I can totally understand your sadness and wonderful memories of the place. Mostly I shoot in natural parks and preserves in northern Virginia where trees felled by nature are left. Only trails are shorn up. Love your trees. Leslie
Such an emotional video this one Simon! As sad as it is, you have captured some wonderful images and no one can take away the memories of your special place! And like you say, it encourages us all to keep wondering our stunning woodlands for more of the same! Thanks Simon for sharing this with us. Already looking forward to your next one!
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach...." -- Henry David Thoreau
I know just how this feels Simon. Last year we lost one of our favourite locations, a unique place that had helped form our love of photography. Last time I visited it I discovered that a road had begun construction right through the middle of it. It truly was heartbreaking. At least we have fond memories and the photographs to remind us of what these places once were, but there is still such a great sense of loss when they go like this. Sam.
It's a shame that this beautiful forrest is gone, especially when it means so much for you. I feel with you ! The stunning photographs and videos you have taken in this woodland wil keep this beauty alive ! Like you said .... we must take the moment to enjoy our nature before it is gone. The last moment of the video with the fallen tree grabbed me by the throat. A nice tribute Simon !!!! Thank you !!! That's why i love the quote from Lord Byron "I love not Man the less but Nature more"
I think recent events have definitely made me appreciate the world we live in. It is so sad to see any woodland being felled but I suppose for tree management it has to be done. Hopefully the woodland floor will soon recover. That infamous image from your first Vlog has more significance to you, than ever. Just don't give up as you are one of the spectacular woodland photographers.
Great video Simon, been watching your work for a while and I like your mindset; thoughtful, considered photography. Quietly informative and relaxing in a frantic world. Sad about your local woodland but perhaps new life will generate new images. Thanks for sharing your experiences and keep up the good work.
Man, that outro shot is an image of its own - the fallen tree surrounded by the living ones....kind of reminds me of a heroic scene, the death of a hero being sent off by his mates or smth along these lines...
Thanks for watching! Please check out the accompanying blog post which includes some more photos: baxter.photos/a-tribute-to-a-lost-woodland/
Excellent tribute to such a special place. Having experienced the area with you on a workshop, I appreciate what the area means. Thank you for sharing. Andy
@@asivitter9826 I'd like to echo Andy's comments above, great tribute to a special place for you. I too enjoyed my time up there with you. The video also reminds us we need to get out more and enjoy the areas around us, and the photograph/document those areas that interest us and have special memories.
Thank you very much, Andy!
Many thanks, Mike. Hope you are well!
As another client of your workshop to that special woodland, it’s sad to see what happened to it. Without your images and teaching it would have passed without anybody knowing it. Now we have some precious memories and fresh inspiration to find our own places.
Really moving mate. Lovely video! As sad as it is, you now have some images of an area which will never look the same again, and you've rescued them in some form. They will be even more precious to you going forward I would imagine.
Many thanks, buddy! Yeah, I'm delighted with some of my images from there, grateful for the time I've enjoyed and the videos I've made. Valley Stories III has pride of place in the new house ;-)
What a beautiful photographic experience you have given us- thank you kindly. I will remember your beautiful woodland forever.
As the wonderful poet Mary Oliver said, "Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." You have done that in spades for your sweet corner of the earth. Find some solace in that Simon, and thanks for sharing.
On catch up with all my TH-cam videos, Truly stunning tribute of a fantastic area Simon, Stunning images and outstanding drone footage 👍
I know the feeling. My local area has been logged twice since I started photographing there. For fire control I'm told. That doesn't make it any less devastating.
Brought back the song from the early 70s, Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchel - a few lines -
"They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They took all the trees
Put 'em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and half just to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot"
Thanks to you Simon in this case we still have the images - Bravo
Yes it's sad to see wild places all over being developed.
Very emotional video Simon. Thank you. That final drone clip of the dead tree amidst it's onlooking brothers and sisters got me right in the heart. That deserves a print in itself.
A beautiful tribute... dysfunctional family still one of my favourite woodland images.
Sad news, but I'm glad you got to build some lovely memories of it. Love the shots of Meg bouncing around especially, lol.
Loved the final drone image of the fallen tree from above. So appropriate -- and so powerful.
Really emotional. Stunning photography 👌
You'll always have your memories, photos and videos. No one can ever take that away.
A fantastic tribute to the woodland that has been a sanctuary for you Simon and which has provided numerous opportunities to showcase your talent. Allow yourself a degree of sadness, if only for each of the wonderful trees that have been lost. Equally, take your memories with you, nobody can take those from you and they will last a lifetime.
Many thanks for sharing your woodlands with me and the world.
Their images have impacted how I see the world. I'll remember them.
Love seeing you and Meg out,and of course those fabulous shots!
The quality of your production is incredible. My wife was devastated last year, the forest less than a mile up the hill from home a huge swathe of it was hacked down, places where we have excellent photos of our (adult) kids.
So sad, but what a collection of stories and images recorded and captured for all to continue enjoying. A tribute to the forest, engraving its memories for ever.
WOW, Simon. I look forward to all your videos, but this was something else. Beautiful and brutal. Thanks man.
I got emotional watching this. It is clear how much this place means to you and having followed your journey for a while now i feel some attachment to it as well. Great memories and moving tribute!
I did not realize how many years I have been subscribed to your channel! But, I am completely heartbroken that this beautiful woodland has now been destroyed! That was a bit of magic for me and I am sickened that it is gone forever! You are correct, enjoy the woods when we encounter them. Nothing lasts forever...
Sean
That final drone shot of the lone downed tree - how lovely and sad and symbolic.
This was beautiful Simon. The forest may be forever changed, but the memories will allow you to relive all the wonderful times of this special place. Thanks for sharing your special place and your memories over the last 4 years.
It’s inspiring to sit here on a wet and windy miserable Saturday evening and watch your videos. Meg is so sweet. Really love Banished ❤️
Sad to see all this beauty slowly disappear. You’ll have to keep exploring, and find new magical places to photography.
The view of the dead tree from the drone at the end is simply magnificent.
How fortunate that you were able to document this special spot, along with your recovery and a happy growing Meg!! A beautiful compilation! Thanks for sharing!
That last aerial shot with the fallen tree... WOW, just wow!!
A few years ago a friend told me that I should watch a skit on the game of golf performed by Robin Williams ( pretty funny btw) on something called TH-cam. When I was finished watching the skit something called "Landscape and Woodland Photography with Simon Baxter" caught my eye. Since I love outdoor photography I decided to watch it. The scene that stuck with me most is when the drone is returning to the camera position and passes by that beautiful fallen tree. The image burned into my brain and I was mesmerized. You are the reason I am still visiting TH-cam and other vloggers/photographers. And yes, it is sad to see that fallen tree, and the others, taken from where they should be... I know that change can be good, but sometimes, not so much. Thanks, Simon.
Some great memories there Simon I can feel your connection to this special place but for me the times you have spent there together with Meg will endure mate, and of course your wonderful images of your favourite woodland.
I found it very hard not to feel emotional and I also gave a thought for you. These places are so special.
I'm so sorry they are tearing down your tranquil spot!
Your dog is great!!
The old disappears, but the new will come. Maybe the right moment for a photography project about the rebirth of the forest. Created for the next 20 years.
Sad to see this development. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Simon. Take care!
What a glorious and bittersweet video. As upsetting as it is for you and all of us to see your favourite scenes become destroyed, I am confident that you will stand at the edge of the woodland, let out an ancient roar and commence the last march of the ents, fully clad in Patagonia gear.
The trees still grow and the birds still sing.
Haha! Oh man, what I would do to ride on the shoulders of Treebeard :-D
Simon Baxter Actually, come to think of it, you really are Tom Bombadil.
I find solace in the woods. It pains me to see a huge old beauty fallen by natural sources much less taken by man. Your woodland photography is what attracted me to your channel, that and Meg.
Devastating to see such a beautiful area being torn down, but as viewers of your channel we have been able to truly enjoy it and this video is a stunning reminder of your love for the area and woodlands in general. It's also a great reminder for me to never take things for granted. Thanks so much for sharing Simon.
I'm really glad you take Meg along on your outings.
I am SO satisfied I bought the last of the largest prints available of Valley Stories III, during your lockdown-sale. I feel quite honored to have purchased a work from a fellow photographer. I some time ago got interest in photographing woods again, which equals returning to my roots, considering photographing the local forests is what sparked my thus far over 13 years old passion.
Thaink ya, for making this and others orks of yours exist.
Photoly greetings
Klaus Lehrmann
Denmark
A really moving vlog,that last set of images said it all ! I wish that we could value these areas for more than just an economic reason,their therapeutic value is far greater,and once gone the area is never the same again ! Hopefully you will find new grounds that offer up a trove of equally stunning images as the ones this forest gave you !
I’ve enjoyed this location with you and Meg often. As my beautiful Wife says; everything changes, everything. Thanks for the memories . 🙏✌️
Hey Simon, sorry to hear that this stunning woodland is going to be logged. At least you have taken some stunning images of it’s beauty which will help it be remembered and hopefully add further significance to their capture - it will never be the same again. That final drone shot tells a very poignant story - wow! Thanks for sharing in both video and the blog post.
Many thanks, Al. Glad you enjoyed this one :)
A typically sincere understated tribute to a beautiful location . So sad to see Man impacting so traumatically . You , however, have done those trees proud
Thanks for this video, it hits really close to home for me.
My aunt has a summer house outside of the city I live in, like 20 km away. The house is just by a forest which is not that big, to walk from one end to the other is around 5-7km. But I've spent 31 summer holidays there and I've seen trees grow , seen them die, seen them being struck by lightnings. It's the only place I have that I can go to to take some time off from everyday fuss, breathe, stare into the deep, wave my hands like an idiot, whatever. I love taking pictures of it, though they're nowhere near perfect or even good sometimes but it's like photographing your kid, just random shots of places I can later look at or want to remember.
They've recently started to cut patches in that forest, like squares of 100x100 metres, apparently to "make the forest younger". There was a big beech tree that we used to call "the tree of wishes" back in the day and would randomly hug it and make a wish. I'm a 32 year old guy and even today it's still too wide to even hug the half of it's diameter. But it died last year so they'll probably cut it down soon, if they haven't already.
The forest is also a place where one of the biggest battles of WWI took place so it's full of trenches, holes and even has a small cemetery. There's also a small military base in the middle, not that heavily guarded. So in a sense you feel like someone's always watching, even if they aren't.
Going there tomorrow, just to say hi :)
Wonderful memories of those videos and those timeless, classic images. The woodland won't be forgotten x
Very well done Simon. You made your points clearly without becoming too emotional. I love your woodland photos.
Simon, thanks for what that wonderful eulogy of a special place. I hope you publish a small book of memories.
One of your best videos to date Simon.... Heartfelt and a wonderful story of your connection to this special place ..... Beautiful images, full of emotion ..... and that little ending sequence with the scene as it is today combined with the drone top down view .... I'd go as far as to say one of my favourite vlogs of the year so far .... Thanks for sharing
That's very kind of you to say and much appreciated. Thanks, Nigel :)
Simon so sorry to hear about the loss of your treasured woodland. Wonderful tribute all the best, Rob.
I come from a place where trees are grown as crops and the woodlands that aren’t farmed are subject to regular hurricanes, so I understand the heartbreak of losing the magic of a special place. My deepest condolences to you. There is something comforting about knowing life forms that were there before we were born and will be there after we are long gone. To witness their lives interrupted is difficult. Take a little comfort in the fact that your photos have enabled people, who would otherwise have never known such a place even existed, to share in that beauty. You have told a little of their story and I, for one, am grateful.
Wonderful to see those again, Simon, so beautiful and so funny watching Meg too. But that final drone pull away shot? Sorry, don’t know techy terms, suffice to say is extremely poignant and powerful at the same time...brought a cry to my eye!
Simon I loved this video. The mood created by the fog in the woodlands there was fantastic!! So peaceful and quiet. I love to photograph on foggy days because of the extraordinary mood it creates. You did a great job of making me want to be in those woodlands though I am too far away in the U.S. Thank you for sharing the peaceful moments there in those woodlands. Some of favorite photos that I have done over the years have been in the fog and misty weather. To echo what one of the viewers Rachel Talibart said about that drone shot at the end. WOW!!!! That was a fantastic view of the forest. Excellent work!!!
Superb mate. Last drone shot is epic. I recall camping as a teenager up at GBro Nab area (that was the time some locals shot at us with air rifles - but that’s another story !) and it all being wooded and my shock at returning and it had all been felled.
That shot at 5:40 is simply beautiful. Thank you for it, and for your story and for your photos.
I've also had a wood like this, my headspace. I can walk it now just by closing my eyes. I've had to leave it behind for more than a decade now, and I struggle to enjoy new spaces because they don't welcome me straight away like my partilar Shropshire walk-woods. New places - beautiful as they might be - don't live up to my trail, my wood, and my trees.
The last time I had the chance to walk my woods was 4 years ago, and it'd been a fair while since before. My favourite place, you can't see it until you crest quite a steep rise after climbing a fair few hundred feet. This last time, it'd been clear-felled. You can't see it until you've done the climb. Before, I'd be greeted by a stand of birches and pines, and would work my way round to an overlook that gives you eyes over several Shropshire valleys - and a little bench my dog used to stand on and stop me from sitting down.
Clearing that rise, that last time, I knew it wasn't my space any more. It never was (I guess the Crown owns it, really), but by clearing the lot, that chapter was finished. No trees were left standing, and the bench had been replaced and moved. There are new shoots all over - it'd been a season or two since felling; new life was everywhere. For anyone making that climb, they'd have to need clearing of the foulest of moods not to be moved. It's really a lovely place now. But it's not unchanging like my memory of it is. And, it'll be a long time - if ever - I'll get the chance to walk those woods again.
This would be a good chance to remind myself to get to know new places, and find new sanctuaries. But, the sting of cleared temples doesn't really go away.
Here in my part of the world I am surrounded by thousands of hectares of commercial pine plantations and they are always harvesting trees somewhere. And at about 25 -30 years old they clear fell entire blocks.
So I can certainly relate to the situation you have there.
Hopefully it’s only a thinning operation and not a clearance.
Thanks for sharing your time Simon. This journey will continue.
Thanks Simon, i think i started following you somewhere in the valley journey.. well done great Vlog
I also recognize your feelings like no other. I also experience that suddenly a part of a beautiful forest is cut down. I still understand the reason why people do this (sometimes). What I see, however, is that those who cut down have absolutely no respect for nature. With large machines, the ground is driven completely to pieces. So not only the trees disappear, but the forest as a whole is also destroyed. "It all grows back up!" Is the excuse. Oke, I am 70 years old so I and will never see that forest again as I have seen and experienced it. Fortunately, we still have the images and hope that our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy them 'later'. Incidentally, I have been a donor to Trees for Life for years and I still assume that many of my contributions are planted in Scotland and the UK. Good luck and please continue to make videos and photos with your dog ...
Probably the finest video I've seen you produce. Somber and inspirational, it made me feel your pain. Not only a great photographer, but great film maker as well. 5 stars!!!
A beautiful tribute to this special place. Thank you for showing me around during my visit (a long time ago now!). I’m glad I got to see it in its prime.
Cheers me dear. You even got a photo of Treebeard :-D
Thank you for this tribute video. I know how it feels to see place you are strongly connected to being slowly destroyed. There's also a message of hope somewhere, I guess, as long as there are still enough people feeling this way.
Lovely vlog, full of memories and storytelling. What strikes me is both your stunning woodland photography and how much a constant, cheering companion Meg is. Her joy at being out with her hooman is heart warming.
Just binge watching you channel as I had plenty of videos to catch on, hence the late comment...
Beyond this specific example, it just shows (as you've said) that you should really enjoy the time you spend in your favorite spots. And as a photographer, yet another reminder that you never regret having taken pictures with which you are not completely satisfied, but rather those photos *not* taken, no matter the type of photography. I personally have told myself so many times "The light's not perfect", "I'm too tired/hungry/cold" or plain laziness ("I've just put my camera back in my backpack") as justifications for not taking a picture or simply not going where I know deep down I should go shoor. Of course, the next day/week/month, there's always an excuse and I end up not taking any picture. In my case, as a full-time traveler, that also often means possibly never ever going back, or do so only years later, when the place has changed a lot.
This woodland was wonderful and obviously very special to you, but fortunately you can have the satisfaction of having enjoyed it hopefully as much as you could, and having immortalized it with your beautiful work. When someone decides to mount an exhibition about the history of the local woodlands, even if it takes decades for that to happen, there is no doubt your pictures and videos will be the centerpiece of it.
Now, excuse me if I leave some videos unwatched for the moment, but I feel the urge to go for a walk in the nearby woods.
PS: Flies may be a good option, but I personally find protein bars tastier ;)
It's a sad watching this. But your message is a good one. The story has also reminded me that as photographers we do collectively have a responsibility to record the changing landscape. Thanks for sharing this very touching video with us all.
Beautiful tribute to an amazing place. I am grateful you have taken the images to tell it’s story of the past.
P.S. Your use of the drone camera in such tight spaces as a woodland adds so much to the visceral experience of your videos! It helps me "feel" the location so much!!
Simon, this felt a bit emotional even though I have'tt been to this place but having followed you closely, I always felt that I was watching those trees, the valley and felt a connection like I do with my local place here. Every photograph from this woodland is a masterpiece and I loved the way you paid tribute to this special place in a special way. Have enjoyed every bit of your video today and in the past, I hope you will have another place very soon, where you will feel the same as you felt here. This was the best video . Thank you.
Hi Simon... I'm so sorry to hear what is happening to one of your favourite woodlands and a place that means so much to you and holds many memories. My wife and I recently bought a 5 acre piece of ancient woodland down here in Cornwall and I love exploring it, looking for compositions inspired from watching your videos.
If you ever find yourself down here in Cornwall, please do look me up and I'll be more than happy to share some time with you exploring our woods.
Your own ancient woodland? What an amazing thing to own and enjoy! Many thanks :)
Change is hard. It changes us. Lovely tribute Simon.
So sad to see the forest go. I especially like the Treebeard tree. It will be missed. So glad it was there for you when you needed it. The images and videos you have of the place are even more precious now. Glad you have those memories, Simon! Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the forest and your photography.
Great to see your look back at such a beautiful area, after replanting and when the area tidies up again it will become a new place with some old friends to see in new surroundings, great video
Your woodland photos are pure magic
Stunning images and footage, it's not until you try making a vlog you realise all the work involved. Inspiring beautiful work.
PS That last drone shot - wow!
Sorry to hear that they logging in this beautiful forest. Really nice collection of memories. Thanks for sharing!
Lovely tribute; obviously so heartfelt. A lot of work in creating a compilation like this, but what wonderful memories to enjoy!
Thanks for this video. It was so good to see some of your old highlights but sad to see such an old friend be so rapidly destroyed, hopefully it will open up other opportunities though. It is perhaps a permanent reminder of our own temporary/ transient nature here too!
Simon you have inspired me to get out with my camera and my two welsh terriers every day, thanks and keep the videos coming. Neil.
Shocking to think that special place is no longer the same but thankfully you have beautifully documented the way it was for all of us for all time. Well done Simon! This was a very moving message and visual.
Much appreciated, Linde! I'm pleased you've enjoyed it :)
Great memories matey. Love your old videos so much.
I can totally identify - I went through both outrage and grief when they started logging an area of one of our National Parks. A beautiful spruce forest chopped down to return nature to it's previous state 90 years earlier. Heartbreaking - but you tell your story so well Simon - a fitting tribute.
Great video Simon, very moving, I'm really appreciating that I live on the edge of Ashdown Forest, and I must not take it for granted. Drone shot of the fallen tree at the end was very poignant too.
Thank you very much, Julian! I've heard of Ashdown Forest and I've heard it's very good - definitely enjoy it as much as you can :)
Brilliant video simon! And some absolute stunners I’m there! Such a shame to see the woodland get logged like that!
this video is an absolute masterpiece, love the idea with the ents :D
Great video, Mr. Baxter. I've endured a similar situation myself. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Thank you for sharing this episode Simon. What I take from this is that things Change. One is well advised not to treat one's environment with indifference - it may change all of the sudden, and all that remains are one's memories.
Speaking of change, may I state an observation: fast-forwarding throught this clips and through the years, it seems to be a display of your own change Simon. From somewhat ruggedly and straight-foward (I exaggerate) to more sensible and deliberate. I'm inclined to think spending the time in the woods doing what you do changes you. And by that this place persists in some other form.
You and Meg have walked-and played in!-many a mile in this inspiring, ancient space. You have your memories and your images, treasures you'll have forever. Thank you for re-sharing scenes from previous videos; they reminded me that your music choices are always spot on. The last shot of the fallen tree speaks volumes.
All things must pass ..... just glad I had the privilege of visiting the location with you in its prime. Nice selection of atmospheric misty videos ... makes you realise how well it suits pine forests in particular. A sad tale ..... but at least you have some memorable images.
Wow Simon this video is so good in so many ways and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. Beautiful atmospheric woodland scenes. Poignant story of the forest and your history with it. And of course the beautiful photographs. I do hope they don't totally ruin your woodland. They did some logging in my local woodland, an ancient forest. When they started I was gutted. But they were simply doing forest management so they just thinned out the trees allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor. It actually improved the woodland as flora began to flourish for the first time in ages. Lets hope its a similar plan in your forest. 🤞
Lovely video. It is a sad fact that many of our forests are there because of our hunger for wood and wooden products. Hopefully this one will be replaced. Although it will take a long time before any replacement could look like this. Nice to see those images again. Thanks
Very moving. If only every doomed woodland could have such a fitting tribute.
nicely done expressing your story with your thoughts and photos! Thanks
Thanks Simon. A beautiful tribute to a wonderful place. Sad that harvesting has started in the area. Such a privilege to have spent a day in those woods with you during a workshop last year. All the very best. Steve.
I can totally understand your sadness and wonderful memories of the place. Mostly I shoot in natural parks and preserves in northern Virginia where trees felled by nature are left. Only trails are shorn up. Love your trees. Leslie
Such an emotional video this one Simon! As sad as it is, you have captured some wonderful images and no one can take away the memories of your special place! And like you say, it encourages us all to keep wondering our stunning woodlands for more of the same! Thanks Simon for sharing this with us. Already looking forward to your next one!
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach...." -- Henry David Thoreau
I know just how this feels Simon. Last year we lost one of our favourite locations, a unique place that had helped form our love of photography. Last time I visited it I discovered that a road had begun construction right through the middle of it. It truly was heartbreaking. At least we have fond memories and the photographs to remind us of what these places once were, but there is still such a great sense of loss when they go like this. Sam.
It's a shame that this beautiful forrest is gone, especially when it means so much for you. I feel with you !
The stunning photographs and videos you have taken in this woodland wil keep this beauty alive !
Like you said .... we must take the moment to enjoy our nature before it is gone.
The last moment of the video with the fallen tree grabbed me by the throat.
A nice tribute Simon !!!! Thank you !!!
That's why i love the quote from Lord Byron "I love not Man the less but Nature more"
Beautiful tribute to a lovey forest.
Such a beautiful tribute, I really enjoyed watching it through!
I think recent events have definitely made me appreciate the world we live in. It is so sad to see any woodland being felled but I suppose for tree management it has to be done. Hopefully the woodland floor will soon recover. That infamous image from your first Vlog has more significance to you, than ever. Just don't give up as you are one of the spectacular woodland photographers.
Thank you very much. It'll take a lot for me t give up :)
Great video Simon, been watching your work for a while and I like your mindset; thoughtful, considered photography. Quietly informative and relaxing in a frantic world. Sad about your local woodland but perhaps new life will generate new images. Thanks for sharing your experiences and keep up the good work.
Man, that outro shot is an image of its own - the fallen tree surrounded by the living ones....kind of reminds me of a heroic scene, the death of a hero being sent off by his mates or smth along these lines...