Have you ever seen something that, at first glance, seemed completely simple and ordinary?
But then you take a closer look at it, and suddenly, a million tiny, hidden details seem to leap out at you — and the more you look, the more complex and mysterious everything seems to become.
That's what might happen when you look at the work of photographer Toma Bonciu.
Specializing in nature and landscapes, as well as some dreamy conceptual work, Bonciu finds inspiration in the outdoors, as well as in the feelings and memories that nature gives us.
Nature inspires art all the time, and that art manifests in a variety of ways, depending on where an artist's talent lies. It might be careful arrangements of flowers, twigs, and leaves, or it might be quietly haunting photos like Bonciu's.
At first glance, his photos look simply like pictures of the woods. But gaze a little longer, and you'll start to see more and more. You'll see the patterns of the bark, the colors of the leaves, and the way the horizon is shrouded in layers of mist.
You might find yourself looking down the pathways created between the trees and wondering where they lead…
[H/T: BoredPanda]
Bonciu is a professional photographer, but his passions lie in capturing the magical, ever-changing beauty of landscapes, particularly of forests.
Growing up with his grandmother in Romania, Bonciu learned all kinds of fairy tales and other magical stories, most of which took place in mysterious forests.
In his grandmother's stories, the forests were filled with mystical creatures and endless possibility. He describes her stories as having "magic that happens in the forest when you're not looking."
"Have you ever walked into the forest and heard a noise, but when you turned your head, nothing was there?" Bonciu asks, and it's pretty safe to say we've all had this happen.
"Well, there was something there," he contends. "You just didn't see it!"
Using these memories as his inspiration, Bonciu began a series of photos called Stories of the Forests, where he sets out to recreate these worlds from his childhoods.
Instead of creating a staged scene, or simply recording the landscape, he seeks to capture the feeling he had as a child, listening to his grandmother's stories about the forests.
"My photos present a fairy tale land that overlaps the real forest and exists at the same time," he explains. And thanks to the misty, mysterious photos, it really does seem like you're looking at a portal between the two worlds.
The photos are quiet, but because of the way Bonciu sets up his photos, a distinct mood is captured.
He uses placement of color, shadow, and light, as well as layers of depth, to create an entire world in one photo.
"I found that photography offers the chance to present the world as I see it or as I would like it to be." Bonciu continues, "beautiful, wonderful, and full of mystery."
To this end, he's been experimenting for over a decade with the way photography can alter, rather than just record, the world.
"My landscapes are not a duplication of the visual reality, but more an equivalent of what I saw and felt," he says.
Bonciu's work shows that even something that looks like a straightforward photo can hold so much more, turning a documentation into a story of memory and emotion.
You can see more of his work on his website, as well as on Facebook and Twitter. And be sure to SHARE his work with anyone who loves nature and being in the woods.
