The walk wasn’t planned around birds — it rarely is.
It was one of those late autumn afternoons when the sky feels thin and undecided, pale with mist, as if the day is already halfway gone.
A walk among gathering wings
All posts by Mike K
A Pause in the Cold Light
A quiet pause during a winter ride — soft haze, muted colors, and the low sun settling into the landscape
Have you ever stopped during a ride without quite knowing why?
The ride wasn’t planned around a photograph. It rarely is. It was one of those quiet stretches — flat rural roads, bare trees, fields already drained of color, unsure whether autumn had fully let go or winter had truly arrived. The air was cold but subdued, carrying the smell of damp earth, wet leaves, and old snow lingering in the shadows. I let the pace drop, listening more than moving — tires on rough asphalt, breath settling into rhythm, the bike humming softly beneath it all.
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A Warm Day, A Winter Memory
Warm December sunset over snowy fields and wind turbines — a fleeting winter moment captured during a bike ride
This snowy winter didn’t last long — barely two weeks — yet it managed to completely reshape the familiar landscapes along my favourite cycling routes. And now, even in mid-December, the cold already feels distant. Today was so warm and bright that I went out for a bike ride in just a cycling jersey, feeling the soft breeze on my face and catching that unexpected smell of damp soil warming under the sun — something you rarely sense at this time of year.
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Winter Layers: Composition & Post-Processing Breakdown
Winter layers in the hills above Wisła — mist, soft light, and a small hut holding the scene together
Winter mornings in the mountains often feel quiet enough that every little detail stands out — the crunch of snow under your boots, the faint glow building behind the ridge, the way the cold air seems to soften everything in the distance. This frame from Wisła, the hometown of ski-jumping legend Adam Małysz, caught my attention because the landscape naturally arranged itself into layers. All I had to do was respond to what the scene was already offering: shifting tones, mist drifting between the trees, and a small hut sitting calmly in the middle of it all.
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A Familiar Tree at Sunrise — A Landscape That Never Stays the Same
A winter sunrise over my favourite roadside tree — always different, no matter how many times I visit
There’s a small stretch of countryside I ride through often — open fields, a wide horizon, and a quiet group of trees guarding a little roadside shrine. I never plan to stop here, but somehow I always do.
I’ve photographed this tree in fog, in summer heat, in autumn wind, and in deep winter stillness. I even spent a whole year capturing it across the seasons — the story became my four-seasons study of this very place. And still, every time I return, it surprises me.
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When Winter Arrived Early — First Snow of the Season
Early snow and a quiet November sunrise — the first sign that winter arrived ahead of time
This year, winter didn’t bother knocking.
It simply walked in — quietly, unexpectedly — on a cold November morning.
The first snow arrived much earlier than anyone around here was ready for. While last year I waited until the end of December to see even a dusting of white, this November greeted me with a thin, crisp layer of snow softening the entire landscape. The air felt different, too — sharper, stiller — as if the world was holding its breath before the true start of winter. Even the sound seemed muted, wrapped in that familiar snowy hush, with only the faint crunch of my boots breaking the silence.
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A Quiet Encounter on My Recovery Walk
I didn’t plan to take wildlife photos that day. It was just a slow recovery walk after a few harder bike workouts — the kind of quiet stroll I sometimes take around the outskirts of my town. The fields there look almost empty at this time of year — ploughed soil, cold air, a touch of wind, and that late-autumn stillness that feels like everything is already waiting for winter. Even though it’s only a few hundred metres from my house, once you step off the road it becomes a surprisingly quiet, open space, wrapped in the soft, earthy smell of damp soil and the faint rustle of dry plants.
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Between Autumn and Winter: Two Views of a Familiar Tree
A quiet moment of late autumn — a tree mirrored in still water as the last light of the day fades
Late autumn photography has its own quiet charm — calm, muted, and fleeting. Many November days are wrapped in fog, the fields soaked by rain, and sunlight is rare. But every now and then, the clouds part for a few hours. That’s when I take my camera, get on the bike, and wander through the nearby fields, hoping to catch a glimpse of light before it disappears again.
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A Curious Visitor Before Winter 🐭
A curious vole peeks out of its burrow for a brief moment before disappearing again
During a family walk to a small lake near our house in central Poland, my son suddenly pointed toward the grass and whispered that something was moving. We stopped and waited. For a moment, nothing happened — only the faint rustle of dry stems and the cool scent of damp leaves carried by the evening air.
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Autumn Photography: Enhancing Warm Tones and Composition in Photoshop
Golden birch leaves glowing along a quiet countryside path at sunset
The light was fading fast. I was just finishing up for the day when the setting sun broke through the clouds, setting the entire path on fire with golden light. I had to act quickly. I recomposed and captured a few frames before the color vanished — a perfect example of autumn’s fleeting beauty, whether you’re out for a ride or a dedicated photo walk.
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A Golden Ride Through the Warta-Widawka Landscape Park
Sometimes the best detours happen when you least expect them. On this autumn afternoon in central Poland, I set out for a short bike ride — nothing ambitious, just a chance to breathe in the crisp air and enjoy the fading warmth of the season. There’s a road I usually avoid: uneven, cracked asphalt, not exactly friendly to bike tires. But that day, I turned onto it anyway.
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Golden Autumn Glow: A Farewell to the Season of Color
A quiet forest road framed by golden birch trees — a final burst of autumn color before winter
Each season brings its own beauty to photograph — from frozen mornings to vibrant spring greens — and I truly enjoy capturing them all. In winter, when the world slows down, I build my fitness on the indoor smart trainer, but I still take my camera for walks, searching for quiet, muted tones.
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Shutter and Saddle 