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.
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.
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.
Golden light along a quiet road in Warta-Widawka Landscape Park — a reminder that even the roughest paths can lead to the most beautiful views
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.
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.
Golden autumn light after a late-evening ride through the forest — a calm moment of warm tones, mist, and soft golden-hour glow captured on a quiet countryside path
It was one of those quiet late-evening rides on my winter bike — the road bike season already behind me, and the forest paths becoming my go-to escape. The air was cool and calm, with a hint of fog. After riding through a dense patch of trees, I suddenly rolled out into this open field — and this view just stopped me. The low autumn sun painted everything with warm golden light, cutting through the haze and setting the trees on fire with color. I simply had to capture it.
Golden birch tree in front of a forest of red, orange, and green hues — a perfect example of autumn color harmony
The golden birch tree immediately caught my eye — glowing in the soft evening light, it stood out like a beacon against the darker autumn forest. Behind it, layers of red, orange, and deep green foliage created a rich and classic fall color palette that perfectly captured the essence of the season.
A quiet forest path glowing with golden and red hues during Poland’s autumn
As part of my “From the Road: Stories & Photos” series, I often look for those fleeting moments when nature seems to pause — when color, light, and stillness align just right. This time, I found it on a quiet forest path during Poland’s golden autumn, where every shade from deep red to glowing yellow created a perfect seasonal harmony.
Heather glowing in golden light with evening fog in the forest
Late summer evenings in the forest often bring a kind of quiet magic. The air cools, the light softens, and sometimes — if you’re lucky — a veil of mist drifts between the trees. That was the scene before me when I came across this patch of blooming heather 🌸. Bathed in a golden sunset glow, with fog rising from the forest floor, the landscape felt almost otherworldly — the kind of moment you can’t plan, only stumble upon.
Late-summer heather fields stretching beneath tall pines in a Polish forest — a fleeting burst of color before autumn
Late summer in Poland is gently yielding to autumn — days grow shorter, mornings grow crisper, and the light takes on a warm golden softness, as if each scene is offering a quiet farewell. But before the leaves turn and the first mists descend, Polish forests burst into one last spectacular display. Vast heather fields, painted in shades of violet and rose, carpet the forest floor beneath tall, straight pines, stretching toward the horizon under the late-summer sun. In this brief but magical moment, the woods transform from a world of deep green shadows into a vibrant tapestry of color glowing with warmth and life.
A quiet moment of light and contrast — captured spontaneously on a spring bike ride through the forest
There’s something meditative about solo cycling — especially in the early morning, when the world hasn’t fully woken up. The steady rhythm of the pedals, cool air on your skin, the soft crunch of gravel beneath your tires — it all blends into a quiet kind of presence. It was on one of these bike rides, camera slung over my shoulder, that I saw it: a flash of golden-yellow leaves clinging to spindly branches, glowing softly in the backlight of a spring sky.
Spring in Poland brings an explosion of blossoms — this apple tree in bloom is just one of many natural wonders brightening the countryside
There’s something universally uplifting about spring — the way it revives the world with color, scent, and softness after months of muted stillness. In Poland, this seasonal transformation feels especially vivid. Forests hum with life, meadows burst into color, and rural orchards erupt in clouds of delicate white and pale pink. From mid-April through May — and even well into June this year, thanks to an unusually cold spring — every road or woodland path offers something worth photographing, or simply pausing to admire.
Shutter and Saddle 