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The Non-Human World

A weekend escape into nature away from the human world

By Sahir DhallaPublished 3 years ago 1 min read
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Nature is perhaps the greatest work of art we will ever encounter. Its delicate balance, its unique creatures, each with their own genius brushstroke or technique - it all truly is a wonder.

So it comes as no surprise then that so much of human art has attempted to capture this beauty. From Ancient Greek pottery to today's poetry, Nature has been characterized as a thing of awe and worship. And it is this awe that I wish to capture in my images.

I was lucky enough the past week to visit Algonquin Provincial Park here in Ontario and spend a couple of days there, and the creatures I saw were incredible. I had never seen most of them before. While camping wasn't all smooth sailing (there was a lot of dirt involved, and I got more mosquito bites than I could care to count), the sights were well worth the pain, and I hope you'll agree with me on that one.

Over my trip, I focused mainly on the animals and wanted to practice capturing their personalities rather than just their visuals.

This Midland Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta ssp. marginata) is probably one of the most fascinating creatures I've seen. This one was just basking in the evening sun, unbothered by anything, when I noticed it and managed to capture this picture. What was really striking to me were the colours. I know that reds and yellows exist in nature, I just never expected it on the underside of a turtle like this. Captured at Centennial Ridges Trail.

At this same lake, just a little further down the trail, I came across this Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius) staring off into the distance. I'm always rather quiet while bird-watching, so as not to spook the birds away, but this one did not fly an inch while I moved closer.

Over the weekend, we visited several trails, but this one at Lookout Point was probably my favourite. After about 30 minutes of hiking, we came to the edge of this cliff, where I caught possibly my best shot of the trip.

This adorable Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) gave me what quickly became my favourite shot of the entire trip. This little one was incredibly curious, coming up to me and looking around while I took pictures, trouncing through the bush at tremendous speeds and searching everywhere.

It even climbed a couple of branches off the edge of the cliff, probably looking for some food to store away before the winter months. Again, the colouring of these creatures always amazes me.

Throughout the early morning, these Red Squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) were busy collecting pinecones, presumably storing them away for the winter. This one right here managed to throw one from the tops of a tree and nearly hit my head, and so was dubbed the little criminal for the rest of my stay there.

Another highlight of my photography journey there was this pair of Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata)

They were by the beach, and seemed to almost be dancing around each other. It was rather fun to watch and they looked really playful together.

I also took a bit of a foray into the world of insects and arthropods. This Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata) is one of the most gorgeous creatures I have seen.

Ebony Jewelwing with it's wings slightly clearer. It's striking blue spreads even to its wings.

Spider of unconfirmed species, probably from the Genus Mecaphesa

If you want to see more of these, check out my Instagram @sxf.visuals

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www.getrevue.co/profile/sahir-dhalla

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