Mónica RiveiroThere are moments when the silence in nature is experienced in a unique way, as if time slows down and sound disappears. Snow and fog, under certain conditions, reveal a type of silence that doesn’t come from outside, but from within. A silence that confronts us with ourselves.
Two types of silence that only nature can offer
In my experience as a landscape photographer in the Sierra del Guadarrama and Gredos, I have learned that the silence in nature is more than the absence of sound. It is full presence. In the midst of nature, the echo of oneself resonates. A silence that is felt more than heard.
A snow-covered forest envelops us in a deep calm. The distant sound of the cities seems to muffle, becoming more muffled until it disappears. The sensation is incredible: only one’s own breath and heartbeat are heard. An inner sound begins to reappear. And that dense silence forces us to be present.
The fog and snow act as a buffering veil from the outside world. They slow down time until it almost stops. That ethereal silence transports us to a dreamlike dimension where everything seems suspended. This quality invites us to empty ourselves inside in order to listen to ourselves better. They are landscapes that not only invite contemplation but also to feel them.
