I took these pictures today (August 10, 2023) around 10 AM in a forest near my house. And here's the story (and of course the pictures)...📷

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Butterfly resting in shade
100mm | 1/500s| f/7.1 | ISO 800

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I wasn't really planning on going out to take pictures today. On the contrary, my intention was to go out for a simple hike in that nearby forest. It was already mid-morning and the sun had warmed up the atmosphere quite a bit, so it would be best to go for a walk in a shady and cool place like that. Besides, at this time of the year there is a small river whose waters run through that forest, this river usually dries up during the dry season but at this moment we are in the middle of the rainy season and the riverbed has plenty of water.

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Dead snail shell
100mm | 1/2500s| f/5 | ISO 400

^{NOTE: This photo is my entry for Round 40 of the macro photo contest in our dear team @photofeed. I recommend you all to take a look HERE and if you are a macro enthusiast you can participate!... And if not, then you can simply enjoy looking at these great shots.}

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Actually my intention was not to exercise too much by walking but I wanted to "isolate myself" because lately I have been thinking about too many things at the same time and I know how damaging it can be for my mood. So I put apair of old tennis shoes, my exercise shorts, a sweatshirt and my cap. To tell you the truth, I even opened my home door and almost go out without my camera. But, photography is something difficult to avoid, it is in itself "a passion" which becomes part of oneself. So, almost as without thinking, I went back to my room and took my old Nikon D7000 which had my 100mm macro lens attached (which I use for street photography, portraits and macros of course, so it is an "extremely exploited" lens) I hung my bag around my neck and headed west, through the streets that leave the town and lead to the river. I'm not going to deny that the almost 1.5 Kgs of my camera and lens weigh, were already making me think that I had ruined my walk and my catharsis... But that's just me!

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The #Hive door 🐝
100mm | 1/160s| f/7.1 | ISO 800

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Flowing water
100mm | 1/250s| f/7.1 | ISO 400

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Needless to say, after walking the three blocks from my house to the exit of town, everything around me began to seem more manageable. The simple fact of starting to walk along a dirt path surrounded by trees was enough to lower my stress level and dedicate myself to observe the charming details wich can be found in the middle of nature.

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Leaf like Picasso's
100mm | 1/2500s| f/4.5 | ISO 400

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Against all odds, I ended up feeling exquisitely "isolated" while walking in the middle of the forest or crossing the small stream. I dedicated myself to finding tiny and eloquent visual stories in the nooks and crannies of that place. I set my camera to manual mode, selected the white balance for "shadows" and remembered how to focus with my 100mm macro lens in manual mode while holding my breath and in between keystrokes. I am a fervent opponent of tripods and flash even for macro or close-ups. I tend to prefer a high ISO and deal with a little noise, rather than carrying more stuff in my backpack... It's impossible not to find photos in the nooks and crannies of the forest, so I was able to spend some very good quality time there.

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Damselfly
100mm | 1/400s| f/10 | ISO 640

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Moss, lichen and tiny slug
100mm | 1/400s| f/10 | ISO 640

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I've named every picture... I'm a damned romantic! 😂 But it's not about academic macros and close-ups. No, this is more like: "Romantic, eloquent macros, with some drama"... I was very close to put them in black and white! 😂 A large part of my brain tends to "see everything in black and white"... But maybe I'll do that with other photos I took today in that nice forest.

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Harmony in a dry leaf
100mm | 1/500s| f/7.1 | ISO 400

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ADDITIONAL TECHNICAL NOTE: Photographs captured with my Nikon D7000 DSLR camera in RAW format, then processed in Adobe Camera RAW for adjustments regarding light, sharpening, contrast and depth. Subsequently the images are exported to JGP format on which minor modifications such as straightening and adding watermarks were carried out using PhotoScape 3.6.3. and/or Photoscape.

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Thank you very much for your visit and appreciation!

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Montalbán, Carabobo, Venezuela.