It should have been just a couple of days of nature guiding, but because of the amount of things to see and the pleasantness of the participants it ended in a full week... full of wildlife, photos and high spirits. I'm talking of the visit paid me by the Marche section of AFNI (Italian Nature Photographers Association) here in Särna at the beginning of June. You can see some memories from the Family Album. Here it is now a selection of pictures they kindly shared with me to be in the Chronicles. Let's start with some landscapes... ...and let's finish with some animals.
The lake of Särna in a late February evening; the town remains discreetly sheltered along the opposite shore, already wrapped in the shadows. It’s been a warm February, the warmest in the five years of our life here: a worthy conclusion of a temperate winter following a very mild autumn. The beginning of March is the entrance into Gidádálvve (springwinter), one of the eight seasons of Sami people: daylight has increased almost by magic, both in duration and intensity; the sun shines high and the temperature range between day and night is important. To the point that solar energy succeeds in raising a thick evening fog on a lake still solidly frozen, which will remain so until the end of April. That very energy has fueled for hours that thermal on the hill over there, and it still has the strength to climb on its vertical, condensing into an atmosphere colder and colder as the sun goes down. The little cloud suddenly appears, catching fire with the last light. Few minutes, just enough to take a picture and contemplate the scene, before the shape of the mount Fulufjället to the west makes both dissolving in the twilight to come. _A quartet of pictures taken yesterday in the village, for the first post of the year; nothing more than what the title says: postcards, no attempts to perform Great Photography here, just a way to gather moments, lights and glimpses, change them into memories to share with friends or accidental visitors, wishing to them all a happy 2012.
Roe deer is widespread in the forest areas; the graceful animals come to the villages at night, especially in winter, and therefore they are a quite familiar presence. Nevertheless, it is not common to spot them: in general you must be pleased to find their footprints left in the snowy gardens. People here make hay and specific feed (sold in the town) available to help them overcoming the coldest times, but I'm beginning to think that it doesn't only depend on the generosity and love for animals typical of Swedes, but also on the attempt to protect those who, in a few months, will become desired game animals. As much as it may seem strange, especially to a vegetarian like me, here the two things go hand in hand.
I am quite aware that this isn't a nice picture at all. It is actually a snapshot, in the very moment in which the animal begins to run away from me, taking flight. A typical "stolen" shot, unplanned and made by chance. However, an odd chance which put me in front of a Willow Grouse so soon after the previous encounter, documented in the first picture of the year (previous post). A living one, this time. Thinking how much difficult is to see this taiga's phantom (widespread, but basically invisible), it seemed to me as the Chronicles were "claiming" a compensation to that shot through one witnessing the bird alive, and I could not help pleasing them. (cropped) A few dark strokes are what is visible of a Willow Grouse, otherwise indistinguishable from the surrounding snow. The animal died of the collision with a car along a minor road, to its eyes the obvious extension of its environment (everything here is white, now), crossed by chance in its quest for food among the low birches. Definitely not a good fate, if you think at the total lack of traffic. I picture the scene: out of the absolute silence, all the sudden the low noise of the car softed by the snow; maybe a quick swish at the impact, then quietness again, now truly absolute. Snow falls like an istant shroud to cover, remove the drama of an istant, an infinitesimal fraction in the life of Gaia. Someone might consider not a good omen opening the new year with a corpse photo, but it isn't a problem of mine: that's life. Those interested in further considerations on this subject could go to the last picture in November 2008. |
All site contents are: © Vitantonio Dell'Orto, all rights reserved worldwide. The Chronicles of Särna, and other stories from the North.
I live in Sweden, in Särna (Dalarna). The Chronicles are a photo diary about the nature (but not just) here around and from all the Scandinavian areas where my photo job takes me.
My book: "My Sweden - Tales from an Italian photographer in the North" is available in the bookstores and by the publisher.
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