Pic of the Week: 3/31/23

"Tawakoni Forest"

Location: Lake Tawakoni State Park, TX

Date taken: 3/5/23

Continuing from last week’s Pic of the Week, I finished up my hike along the Spring Branch trail and returned back to camp. I was planning to meet up with Ashlee, but I had some hopes I would find some subjects to photograph along the way. I remembered one particular location from the previous day’s scouting hike and started to make my way along the Whitetail Trail just outside our campground. Very quickly, the trail envelops you in dense brush and trees; aside from a few game trails, the only clear paths are the established trails through the forest.

Not a few hundred yards from the trailhead, I was met with some grazing Whitetail deer. It always amazes me how they can move so quietly through a wooded area. They became aware of my presence, and after a brief stare down, they leaped away under the protection of the forest. All around me, birds were chirping and calling out in the crisp morning air. The sunlight was just filtering into the forest floor, and that meant my location could be getting light soon.

I reached a fork in the trail and remembered to take the left fork to my location. Although this area wasn’t large, it was no less striking. Along the banks of a small creek, brilliant green moss carpeted the grayish-black dirt. This created a stark contrast to the area and really helped break up the monotony one can find in forest photography. I upped my pace, and after a few moments of forest hiking, I reached my destination. Now, the sunlight was just starting to illuminate some of the moss with a wonderful neon-green glow.

I carefully navigated the slippery mud and made my way down to the creek. The sound of trickling water and leaves blowing in the wind pacified the morning. I sat there watching, waiting, and listening for a half hour before I pulled my camera out. While looking at another composition, I turned to look over my shoulder and spotted this one. I took a test shot and confirmed I could work this into an interesting photograph.

Tawakoni Forest © Ben Jacobi

I sat there for another hour, watching the light illuminate different parts of the moss and snapping off frames of the changing light. Eventually, it was time to get back on the trail and see if I could meet up with Ashlee. Sure enough, after a few hundred yards, I saw her contorting her body to photograph something miniscule on the tree next to her. We met up and continued the trail together before returning to camp. We had some breakfast, packed up our camp, and bid adieu to Lake Tawakoni State Park.