Becoming one with nature

Becoming or being one with nature gives one an immediate feeling of peace and calm, but what does it really mean? It involves letting yourself become absorbed with the natural world. Nature can be a place where we can sit and reflect on life's meaning - away from the distractions and demands of our regular lives. So how does one become really in tune with nature?

Little Desert wallabies

Slow down and be present

Sometimes being one with nature means just being in the moment. Actually put the camera down and take in your surroundings. It may seem counterintuitive, but believe me - it's not. Just let yourself breathe and be mindful of the beauty that surrounds you before you even take a single photo. Enjoy the moment. Savour the experience.

Find a spot

Take a wander and find a spot. It doesn't have to be far, just away from distractions for you and nature. Turn your phone off. Leave the noisy electronic world behind. Let nature engulf you and accept you. Once you are calm and still, nature will come back to life around you.

Get in tune with your senses

Being in nature truly is a sensory experience. Often we let our senses atrophy in this technological world, but it's worth spending a few minutes to re-engage them;

1. Close your eyes and take a few slow deep breaths

2. Relax your physical body & allow yourself to feel external sensations like sun or wind on your skin, smell the trees, the dust, the earth

3. Feel connected with the ground and your surroundings

4. Listen to your surroundings, the birds, the insects or the wind blowing through the trees

5. Finally, open your eyes and focus your attention on something beautiful. Let your focus expand, taking in the whole scene

6. Slowly relax and feel your connection with all of your senses

Watch and learn from local animals

Let nature come to you. A little patience is key. Just sit and be quiet and mindful, slowly the birds and animals will know you're no threat and will be calm and accept you. It pays to know when and where to shoot for the best vantage. We recently visited The Little Desert in regional Victoria (Australia), we have been here before and knew just before sunset was the perfect time to visit. The little wallabies were just coming to life after sleeping most of the day. We know from previous trips, Spring was a better time to visit than Autumn, as there are more young about and it's much greener. It was very dry when we visited this time and not as many animals.

Now it's time to pick up the camera

Now that you are more in tune with your senses and with nature, it is time to quietly, carefully and mindfully pick up your camera. Be wary of your surroundings, move slowly, if at all. Let the animals come to you.

All of these images were captured with my Sony A7RIII, Tamron70-300mm lens. I was shooting in Aperture Priority mode (f/6.3), with Auto ISO and a minimum shutter speed of 1/125 seconds. This allowed for handheld, relatively slow shots (without camera shake), in the low light conditions. It was just as the sun was setting in a heavily wooded area. The 300mm focal length, allowed me to get great shots, but still keep my distance. A 500mm lens or longer would have been fantastic too.