forest photography Archives

The roll started at the Jardin Extraordinaire. It finished here.

I’d loaded the Pentax ME Super with 100 ASA and put on the 50mm f/1.7: a classic pairing, and I wanted that creamy bokeh you get wide open on a prime. The Jardin gave me the first half of the roll. The Forêt de Grasla got the rest.

It’s not far. That was part of the appeal. Staying local, keeping it simple.

The forest is loud in late April. Birdsong, yes; but mostly frogs. Excitable ones. Small things, but what a noise. Good job that I’m half deaf. I found a picnic table, sat down to write, and a wolf spider walked along the wood beside me, not paying any attention whatsoever. I approved of that. The mosquitoes were less indifferent: there was one with designs on me, and I kept my eyes peeled.

I wanted tree shots, and the forest had those. It also had toads, which I hadn’t expected. The latter end of April means the canopy is full, the undergrowth is thick, and everything is moving. In that kind of light, in that kind of density, I dropped the aperture: nothing above f/8.0. Wide open would have been chaos. The forest rewards patience and a stopped-down lens.

There’s a memorial at the edge of the wood: a granite cross, a Madonna behind ironwork, and a bronze plaque to Charette and the parishioners of Grasla massacred for their faith. The Vendée is that kind of place. History sits quietly in the trees.

I still had the Panama on. Still keeping the sun off my head.

All photographs shot on 100 ASA, Pentax ME Super, 50mm f/1.7. Forêt de Grasla, April 2026.

P.S. The frogs were still going when I left.

Black and white film photograph of a straight forest road with dappled tree shadow, Forêt de Grasla, Vendée.

Black and white film photograph of a lake seen through overhanging branches, Forêt de Grasla, Vendée.

Black and white film photograph of an empty wooden bench beside a lake, Forêt de Grasla, Vendée.

Black and white film photograph of a lake with an overhanging tree branch, Forêt de Grasla, Vendée.

Black and white film photograph of a granite cross with a Madonna figure in an iron-grille niche, Forêt de Grasla, Vendée.

Black and white film photograph of an ivy-covered tree trunk in the Forêt de Grasla, Vendée.

Black and white film photograph of a curving sandy track through woodland, Forêt de Grasla, Vendée.

Black and white film photograph of a straight dirt track through forest, Forêt de Grasla, Vendée.

Black and white close-up film photograph of backlit beech leaves with a hanging catkin, Forêt de Grasla, Vendée.

Black and white close-up film photograph of a lichen-covered branch, Forêt de Grasla, Vendée.

Black and white film photograph of a sunlit sapling in a dark forest interior, Forêt de Grasla, Vendée.

Black and white film photograph of a wide forest track receding into the distance, Forêt de Grasla, Vendée.

Black and white film photograph looking up through tree branches into the forest canopy, Forêt de Grasla, Vendée.

Black and white film photograph of a family with a pushchair on a forest track in the distance, Forêt de Grasla, Vendée.

Black and white film photograph of a family cycling away along a sunlit forest track, Forêt de Grasla, Vendée.

Good evening Dear Reader. Some of you may know that I live in France, despite being originally from the UK, and despite probably having gone native after living here for 30 years. I have even been accused of being a little “Continental” whatever that may mean.. I live in the west of France. You could think that I live in Nantes just judging by the quantity of photos taken in that city.

I actually live in a smallish village at the very northern edge of the Vendée and my village borders the “la Loire Inférieure” or to use the more modern term “la Loire Atlantique.” Our department number is 85 and theirs is 44. I’m not saying there is any animosity between the two, in the same way that there isn’t any animosity between the inhabitant of Lancashire, and God’s own county of Yorkshire. Absolutely none at all.

You now know where I am. Let’s have a closer look at that area through the lens of my Canon AE1. This series of photos was taken along my route to work. You can see the milestone on the road where the border between the two departments finds itself.

The trees along this stretch form a natural tunnel, creating an otherworldly atmosphere as sunlight filters through the canopy. Capturing that interplay of light and shadow was my goal with the Canon AE1. Despite some doubts about its metering capabilities, the camera performed admirably, and I’m thrilled with the results.

Since I took these photos, some of the trees have been cut back, making these images even more precious. They preserve a fleeting beauty—a reminder of how photography can immortalise moments before they change forever.

At the base of the hill runs a quiet stream, tame in spring but often overflowing in winter. Its stillness offers another perspective, reflecting the surrounding trees and clusters of mistletoe hanging high in their branches. These reflections, captured on film, reveal a different kind of magic—a mirror-like calm that contrasts with the lively interplay of light above.

This installment of the Film Archives is a tribute to the quiet beauty of my daily commute. Through these photographs, I hope to share not just a sense of place but a moment in time that speaks to the power of film photography to hold onto the ephemeral.