I have just returned from a 7 week trip on Sable Island, NS. The reason for this trip was to continue my work with the Ocean Tracking Network at Dalhousie University and with the Bedford Institute of Oceanography. However, it is an excellent opportunity for me to photograph nature.
There is always a period of adjustment when I return from Sable. While on the island life is very simple, driven by the weather, tides and routine tasks of the day. There is plenty of time for cooking, making bread, drinking tea and looking out of the window at the seals, horses and surf. As a result, the mind becomes very calm, although not necessarily quiet, and you lose the sense of the multitude of layers that make everyday life on the mainland so complex and busy.
After I have adjusted to the hectic life on the mainland, the closest sense I have of this calmness is when I engage in contemplative photography. Those brief moments when I see a strong image and connect with it, remind me of the calmness I feel on Sable. Life slows down and allows time for your senses to enjoy the beauty of our world.