Trip to Azenha Virgin Forest #3 - S.Justa Valongo | Portugal

Continuing the trail started and described in the 2 previous posts, after a trail that started with a relatively easy climb to the straw field, followed by a somewhat steep descent that crossed a line of the ecological corridor to the edge of a small line of water that comes from the Valongo city, crossing all the existing localities, including Azenha, until it flows into the Ferreira river that crosses the Couce mountains.

It was in this place that we followed the direction of the water and further on we entered an area of ​​forest of dense and almost prehistoric vegetation... ok, I'm exaggerating, but certainly there are trees and plant species that are quite old.
The path was initially carefully trodden, as the access was somewhat camouflaged by a mantle of small plants that did not allow us to see the terrain that lay ahead, and not being alone and with children in the group, it was not the ideal place for excessive adventures, therefore all care was necessary.

The small river accompanies us along the entire route, a route that was not really possible to do in full because at a certain point, the rain of the previous day caused small mudflats making the place a small wetland, thus preventing any attempt to advance.

The only solution would be to go all the way back to the starting point, or try to find a side exit point towards the ecological corridor that was at a higher level, and so it was.

Through a clearing it was possible to access a small trail that allowed us to exit to the corridor, and from there make the way back on a more controlled terrain, but also more busy, where we crossed with other hikers.
It was along the ecological corridor that i took the opportunity to take a few more macros with special emphasis on a butterfly that followed me for a few meters until it decided to land right in front of me and remained there for a few seconds, enough to be able to make some records.

My introductory thoughts about macro photography:

It's amazing how macros with their blurred background can result in such different images full of contrasts and textures especially with this kind of subjects.
In the world of photography, especially macro photography, there is a universe of things available to everyone, enabling totally different and original approaches.

Here i present the technique used through a short visual tutorial:

Among the various possible techniques to shoot macros, this is perhaps the most affordable and effective technique for those who have a camera with removable lens.
We can simply remove the lens and reverse the direction, and by using an inverter ring it ends up being more comfortable and facilitates the process.

That´s all for today :)

See you soon

Thank you for watching :)

All images are my property | Images © 2020 @aleister