I Observed Snails In The Sun, Here Are 25 Pics That I Took Of These Captivating Beings

My adventure with photography began when I photographed children at a family gathering during the Easter holidays. I wanted to capture the emotions I observed. There was a nice atmosphere. I thought the photos I took were beautiful, flawless. After a few days, I put them up on a photo portal, and it was there that I only learned about the mistakes I had made: the exposure parameters simply sucked, as well as the composition and many other issues.

I was intrigued by the art. I wanted to take good photos, and step by step, after painstaking attempts and the subsequent "kicks" I received from the community, which had more knowledge than me, I began to photograph better and better, until I managed to develop my own style over the years.

I have always been fascinated by nature motifs in photography. Flowers, butterflies, spiders, and snails. I also wanted to show them beautifully as they bring solace - a pleasant visual experience - that relaxes me. I was very much inspired by other authors who specialize in nature photography. I photograph other subjects as well (including people), but snail photographs seemed to be admired the most. And why do I present them in the sun? Because then the light is very plastic, and they look more attractive in it. Then a snail is not just shown, as for a biological album, but is portrayed in an artistic way.

What fascinates me about snails is their movement. They can bend in different directions when I photograph them, and even in a primitive way, they establish contact with me. When they are on the stalk I am holding in my hand, they try to climb onto my palm. I get the impression that they trust me. Some individuals do not want to come out of their shells, they are timid, then I give them peace. I photograph those that are not afraid, they are curious. Of course, I am aware that they do not have personalities, but if I were to shoot a fairy tale about them, I would be able to give them individual emotions and give them character traits. When I photograph anything, I simply personify it. I think this is infantile, but very creative and imaginative. Blankly looking at a snail will result in a soulless photo, with no emotion.

The most difficult thing is to photograph snails when the light is too sharp - then unwanted reflections of light appear on their body and shells forming ugly spots (burnout). I wait for the golden hour so that the light is not too aggressive. Then, in turn, it is darker and the exposure time is extended, so the photo often comes out blurred, fuzzy (yes, yes, snails are slow, but still difficult to capture in sharpness).

I take a lot of photos before I get a good shot. This requires a lot of patience and commitment. Sometimes I come home after such a session and everything ends up in the trash. When I go out to take pictures, I know I have to spend 2-3 hours on it (it's a labor-intensive job). I also come back with watery eyes, because too much exposure to sunlight falling through the camera viewfinder irritates the eyes.

The greatest pleasure in photography is the process of creation itself. I have the pleasure of communing with nature, staying in the pleasant golden sun, relaxing and freeing my mind from everyday worries. Sometimes I come home without a good shot, but the fact that I was able to stay in this place gives me energy and relieves me of stress.

Photography is my way of communicating with the world. I would like to evoke reflection in the viewer, so that they stop and feel peace and bliss for a moment. I can also portray my emotions in a controversial, difficult way, such as creating emotional portraits - they are meant to make people think, interpret the environment. I want my photographs to show that the world around us is not made of matter and beauty only. Perhaps, for a moment, they will provoke people to look inside themselves?