Color photo. A roofed wooden gate, in Japanese style. The roof is covered in fallen leaves. Trees, a mix of green and autumn red and orange, surround the gate. Low green bushes line the gravel path that leads to the gate.

Nineteen years ago, stressed out from work, I started looking for a creative outlet to generate some balance in my life. I’d tried drawing, years before, but it didn’t stick and I wasn’t interested in trying it again. I don’t remember exactly why, now, but I decided to give photography a go. I went to the local camera store, discovered they were having a sale on Nikon gear, and I ended up walking out with a D50 and a kit lens.

I was hooked from the start, and I’ve rarely been far from a camera since. (Usually Nikon. Never underestimate the power of a sale to bring in new people to your system 😀 )

So when I need some solace, a thing that generally works is getting out, walking around, and taking photos.

I needed that today. So I went to the Bellevue Botanical Garden, walked around slowly, and enjoyed some tree-time.

I hope you were also able to get some solace if you needed it.

Gear: Nikon Z7 II, Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S

Color photo. A roofed wooden gate, in Japanese style. The roof is covered in fallen leaves. Trees, a mix of green and autumn red and orange, surround the gate. Low green bushes line the gravel path that leads to the gate.
Color photo. A thin branch, extending from the right of the frame to the left, With small oblong yellow leaves, tinged with pink.
Color photo. An empty wooden bench, in front of a low wooden fence. Behind the fence are low trees going autumn yellow, and beyond those a forest of bare trees.
Color photo. Two clusters of small petals next to each other. On the right, they are creamy white, tinging with brown. On the left, they are all brown.