Camping in the Great Smoky Mountains – What You Need to Know

Photographer Neil Burnell Captures Mystical Beauty of Fairytale-like Wistman’s Wood

British photographer Neil Burnell captures breathtaking surroundings emptiness of individual subjects, frequently traveling to distant places far beyond culture. This specific forest has been the subject of folklore and fantasy, with many authors describing it as the most haunted place in Dartmoor.

“I have likely seen the woodland about 20 days in the previous year, but sadly it’s just had the essential mist on two events,” Burnell describes to Colossal. “Photographing it with no mist is a tricky job and nearly impossible to make pictures with the air I am trying to find.”

Regardless of the supernatural tales, Burnell is drawn to the air and photographic battle of this English woods and frequently visits the site at “blue hour” or even the hour until the sun rises in the daytime.

More: Website / Instagram

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A British Sculptor Created Life-Size Sculptures from Woven Rods of Willow

The ancient art of basket weaving is thought to be among the broadest spread crafts at the history of human culture. The procedure involves weaving pliable, natural materials together to create an assortment of useful vessels and forms. Inspired by the craft, a British sculptor known as Anna & the Willow has set a contemporary twist on this timeless technique. She creates incredible nature-inspired sculptures created from English-grown sticks of willow.

Anna first started working with willow ten decades ago when she took a weekend sculpting course.

“Working with an organic material opened up a new world and I consequently went on to find out the different techniques of basketry,” she says. “I enjoy using the skills of basketry and adding my flare to the procedure.”

The talented maker crafts many willow baskets and little gifts, but her remarkable sculptural work showcases the traditional technique at a whole new level. Every large, outdoor piece is planned with hand-drawn sketches before being rendered from bespoke steel frames. Anna then wraps them with layers of interwoven willow rods, showing their remarkable forms.

One 9-foot figurative sculpture, titled The Huntress of Skipton Castle Woods, depicts a girl shooting a bow and arrow. Placed amongst a woodland environment, the impressive piece looks as though it has grown from the forest floor and may come to life to take her arrow at any moment. In other works, Anna has sculpted life-sized creatures, including a stag and a horse, both of whom seem as though they’re surveying their landscape, suspended in time.

Marche Celeste: Alexis Pichot’s Woodland series Revitalized His Sense of Self

French photographer Alexis Pichot‘s forest series ‘Marche Celeste’ not only awakened his perceptions, but it also reinvigorated his awareness of self.

Submerging himself at the depths of this forest of Fontainebleau, Pichot captures the divine, earthy qualities of the property. He emphasizes the religious, mythical aspects of this particular place through lighting techniques. There seems to be a supernatural power emanating from the photographs which could be tangibly felt by the viewer.

The forest of Fontainebleau has a unique place in history and French collective consciousness. It’s provided generations of writers, artists, and musicians who have inspired and was the first protected all-natural area in the world. Back in 1863, it was classified as an artistic reserve after painters at the Barbizon school campaigned for it to be protected. Located just outside of Paris, the woods are a natural sanctuary for many cosmopolitan Parisians seeking respite from the bustle of city life for years.

“The woods is just one of the most powerful incarnations of nature at its origins and an area of transition as well…”

While photographing his environment, Pichot re-connected to character, turning the series into a therapeutic job. Speaking about the calming effects of the woods he commented: “the forest is just one of the most powerful incarnations of nature at its roots and also an area of transition too, a means to some other state, for the person who is immersed.”

h/t ignant

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New photographs Reveal Zaha Hadid’s Only Completed Private Residence

New photos and a video reveal Zaha Hadid‘s only completed private residence — a house in the Barvikha Forest near Moscow, for a man she called the “Russian James Bond.” The late Iraqi-British architect designed Capital Hill Home for businessman and philanthropist Vladislav Doronin, that runs property companies Capital Group and OKO Group, and is also the owner of the luxury hotel and resort brand Aman. The house‘s defining characteristic is a master suite set atop a slender concrete stalk that raises it high above the tree canopy.

Set 22 meters above the ground, this section of this, the layout offers Doronin complete seclusion. “I told her: ‘I want to wake up in the morning and I wish to see blue skies. I really don’t need to see some other neighbors, and I would like to feel free,” remembers Doronin at a new video discussing the project. “She told me: ‘Do you know you have to be over the trees?’ And she only took a napkin and drew the sketch. I looked, and I mentioned I enjoyed it and this is how we started the Capital Hill project.” Three generous floors partially embedded in the rocky terrain below feature angled glass facades facing into the woods.

The lowest level includes leisure facilities, while a lounge, living area and kitchen are set alongside interesting spaces and a swimming pool on the ground floor. The entry, guest and children’s bedrooms, and a library have been set around the first floor. The idea for the project was first conceived over a decade ago when the group met in London and Hadid sketched a layout out on a napkin. Visuals of the project were initially unveiled in 2008, and first pictures of the project emerged in 2011, well before Hadid’s death. But these images mark the entire conclusion of the residence. “For me, she is an architect of an offbeat league,” says Doronin.

“It was very interesting to speak to her, she didn’t speak a great deal, but she was really sharp. She was always to the point, she had been very intellectual, smart and sharp girl,” he continues. “It was awful what happened; we lost one of the greatest architects of this century.” “It’s a dream house. No architect would deny such a commission,” he says in the movie. “Zaha understood Vladislav — a very stylish man — she always compared him to the Russian James Bond who’d taste, wealth to create something exceptional.”

“This project is an official testament to Zaha’s genius — Vladislav’s genius if you’d like — of someone who develops new heights of enjoying life on this world,” he continues. “This is really a masterpiece. It has Zaha’s signature attributes of organic intricacy, the sophistication of spatial arrangement, a lot of surprises, and a lot of craftiness and attractiveness.” Foster recalls Doronin proudly showing photographs of his finished home in a dinner party, and atmosphere “enormous disappointment” that he’d never be able to split the compliment with Hadid.

h/t Dezeen

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Majestic Vibrant Landscapes From Around The World Captured By Niaz Uddin

These color-saturated aerial shots catch the magic of different landscapes as observed from above.

This series was taken by Niaz Uddin, a photographer, director, and filmmaker. These brilliant fly-over shots stir the creativity with the ideal dose of drama and color. Each shot could easily be confused with a movie photo, thanks to this Uddin’s cinematic signature.

The range of places is fascinating. You’ll spot rainbow acid in the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone, pink beaches at Laguna beach, and missing planes in the Pacific Northwest.

Follow Uddin on Instagram or purchase a print via his website.

H/T  Colossal

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Frozen Landscapes of Germany’s Winter by Kilian Schönberger

German photographer Kilian Schönberger is notorious for capturing otherworldly images of their natural environment. Schönberger clarifies the mysterious quality of his Winter‘s Tale series in the mountain ranges of Germany: “Winter was the time when stories and legends have been told in the home, the whole family sitting around the tiled stove. The mysterious figures are only waiting in front of the doorstep, freeze and snow seem to create trees alive.”

The photographer shares with Colossal that harsh conditions are part of the game when shooting outside during the winter. Schönberger treks in with snowshoes or cross-country skis, and sometimes waits two hours or more in frigid temperatures for the right shot while battling shortened battery life and fickle sunlight that is needed to illuminate a scene without melting the delicate frost. In addition to his Behance portfolio, you can see more of Schönberger’s work on his website and Instagram.

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Marvelous Light Paintings By Daniel Mercadante Showing Rainbow Flow Through The Forest

As of late, Daniel Mercadante’s light painting — rainbow road continues to be traversing rocky creeks, exploring sheds, twisting around lakes and in the hearts of his followers. If you are familiar with/devoted to the ‘#lightpainting‘ hashtag, then you might have seen these long exposures trending, too. If not, here they are for your viewing enjoyment — filmmaker Daniel Mercadante’s rainbow paths.

The most recent photograph meanders across the forest floor as the sun begins to set or rise — naturally, a filmmaker first, Mercadante isn’t a stranger to amazing compositions. He set a leading collective called ‘everyone’ at 2009, then wed another filmmaker, his wife, Katina. You can view their award-winning films on their site, that Mercadante — and catch more rainbow action on instagram @danielmercadante.