October 4, 2025

Three days at the northern lakes

A friend suggested the northern lakes months ago, and this week I finally went. The light was unhurried, and winter colours kept pulling my attention away from anything I had planned to photograph.

I sat on a bench for almost an hour, just watching small boats change as the clouds moved. The path was muddy and longer than the map suggested, but the view at the end made up for it.

Working with a borrowed medium format camera forces you to slow down. You think twice before pressing the shutter, and that changes the pictures. By noon the crowds arrived, so I walked further along the path, where winter colours were still undisturbed.

The café near the northern lakes still serves the same cinnamon buns; I had two and pretended it was research. On the way home the train was nearly empty, so I reviewed the day's notes and planned the next trip.

It was a good reminder that interesting pictures rarely require going far.