Mount Baker

Sometimes you are annoyed by the impossibility to take the right pictures. You are probably in a car that doesn’t stop. Or doesn’t stop at the right spot. Or everybody seems to be in a hurry so you take a shot and yes, later you see it is blurred… Or your camera has its limits….

OK; Mount Baker. The first time it was mentioned to me I was on the island of Saturna. Saturna is one of the southern Gulf Islands.These Gulf Islands are located between Vancouver and Vancouver Island. The Gulf Islands are volcanic islands. You cannot get closer to being in paradise. Unspoiled nature. Fantastic views. Being there almost alone…. Whenever you get a chance, go there!

I was walking there with my friends… then suddenly at the end of our walk John pointed something out to me. Look, do you see Mount Baker… No I didn’t and then I did. When you look out over the sea you see a blue haze, And a bit higher up some white clouds. All nicely on one level. But then suddenly you get hooked by the view of a volcano. Peering out above the ring of clouds you see something white.

The shock of seeing something so unexpected. I was fascinated by this mountain from that moment. And after all these years I still am.

The rest of my time there I was on the look out for Mount Baker. And I was rewarded by some impressive views. Vancouver with Mount Baker in the background.

   

Finally a shot from the car driving along the highway. The last sight of this impressive and enchanting Mount Baker. I will never forget you…..

Empty landscapes

Iceland

I was watching a writer explain that landscapes are important for the creation of the characters of his novels. And he liked empty landscapes. Suddenly I realize how strange it is to call a landscape empty.

Canada

Even the fact that we talk about an empty landscape… It suggests that there should be something extra in there. That something is lacking. Is nature not sufficiently filling the landscape? Can a landscape with animals, like a herd of cattle, be “empty”. Can you make it feel empty”?  Is a landscape filled when there are buildings in sight?

Canada

I can think of many ways to fill a landscape. Like the painters Jeroen Bosch or Salvador Dali fill the landscape with demons and dreams. Looking at paintings, the landscape is often filled with a story, a battle or some biblical scene.

Scheveningen

Looking at my pictures, I see landscapes that feel empty because they are filled. It might be the indication, suggestion, that people are absent that makes them feel “empty”. Sometimes you even need people in the picture to make you see the “emptiness”. But on the other hand a landscape empty of people can feel full when it is overwhelming.

Iceland

I am not a philosopher, so I won’t pretend I can explain. For me it counts what I feel when I see a landscape. The emptiness means different things in different times and different places. It can be filled and at the same time be empty. An empty landscape is free to wander in but also forms a kind of mental frame. It puts you in a certain mood. A kind of mental peace; no noise, no action. Maybe some loneliness. It certainly makes you believe in space, in freedom……

Patagonia