Emotional Spectrum in Pictures: Framing "Waldeinsamkeit"

Photography isn't just about the visuals, technicalities or equipment. To be a photographer, you have to capture the unseen and the abstract. And when you do, you grow one step empathetic. Here we review Lomographs that straight out speak of human emotions. For our first segment, we'll be having "waldeinsamkeit".

“Waldeinsamkeit (Woodland Solitude),
Wie liegst du weit! (I rejoice in Thee!),
O dich gereut (Tomorrow as today),
Einst mit der Zeit (Forever and ever) –
Ach einzige Freud (Oh how I enjoy)
Waldeinsamkeit! (Woodland Solitude)” --- Ludwig Tieck, poet

"Waldeinsamkeit" is a German word that describes the specific feeling of solitude in the woods, and one's connectedness to nature, and untranslatable to any other language. Waldeinsamkeit is a rather particular emotion that is evoked by taking place in the natural scenery. It's one lone wanderer's feeling as he steps into the woods, his eyes gazing through the abysmal thicket of greenery, hypnotized yet empathic of his surroundings. It's the feeling that bursts when awestruck by something larger than life.

It's when a solitary hand feels the ark of the great oak, or the gentle caress on a wildflower, knowing that one does not get to see this rare beauty every day. It's the long walk in the woods, the journey endless yet captivating. You belong to Mother Earth.

2017-10-15 #culture #photography #emotional-spectrum-in-pictures #waldeinsamkeit