Ecotherapy 365/307 : Saturation

If you’re feeling melancholy there’s nothing like a lovely walk in the rain to soothe your spirits. Not everyone likes the rain but it doesn’t have to be a mood-dampener unless you say so. Wearing the correct type of clothing is essential so you can focus on enjoying nature without being distracted by your clothes or shoes letting rain in, or becoming cold. Probably I will deal with how to dress in a separate post, as I wasn’t exactly dressed for the rain on this day. Basically I was just walking home from the city after work in this video, but it looked pretty with the Autumn colours so I took these photos. There are a few reasons that rainy day walks are especially worthwhile so today we will take a look at these beauties. Colours often appear brighter and more vibrant when it rains, mainly because water washes away dust and grime, making surfaces clearer. A thin layer of rainwater on a surface also causes light to bounce multiple times within the water, leading to more scattering and a perceived increase in colour intensity. Wet surfaces can also change colour, with rocks becoming darker shades like burgundy or silver. HOW RAIN AFFECTS COLOURS IN NATURE 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫, 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐮𝐞𝐬: Rain can make natural surfaces, particularly leaves and rocks, appear a deeper, more saturated colour because the water fills in microscopic imperfections on the surface. 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫-𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬: When it rains, the colour of rocks can shift dramatically. For example, the red rock of Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) in Australia can appear dark burgundy, silver, or even black depending on how wet it is. 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐧: In rare cases, rain can have an unusual colour if the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) it forms around are coloured. These nuclei can be dust or algae, but because they are so tiny, the effect is rarely visible to the naked eye. HOW RAIN MAKES COLOURS LOOK BRIGHTER 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐃𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 : Rain cleans the dust and pollution from surfaces like asphalt, stone, and leaves, revealing their true colours underneath. 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 : A thin layer of water on a surface creates a ‘light trap’. When light hits this surface, it can reflect off the water's surface, then off the material below, and back up again. This process of light bouncing multiple times inside the water before exiting can make colours seem more vibrant and saturated. 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 : The wet, darker appearance of surfaces alongside the dry, muted tones of other objects can create more visual contrast, making colours seem more vivid. 𝐕𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬 : The moisture from rain enhances the green pigment in leaves and mosses, making them appear more vivid and luminous. In Hammerfest, the world’s northernmost city (a fact disputed by some), our symbol is the most beautiful Arctic animal (imo)… the polar bear. In this video you can’t tell how cold it was because the warm colours of the Autumn leaves and grass give a false impression. Actually, we have already had snow in Northern Norway for weeks now, so I’ll be posting snow photos again in the coming days (yay). I love polar bear weather best of all, and polar night is soon arriving. I’m running behind the actual season because I’ve been trying to cram in a few more colourful videos before the long season of white properly begins… Today’s Ecotherapy tip is to 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Enjoy walking more slowly and intentionally, giving yourself ample time to notice the small and beautiful elements of your surroundings. Here’s a bonus tip for budding photographers : Rainy days make the perfect time for photography due to these colour saturation effects, but if you’re worried about water damaging your phone/camera simply carry an umbrella to shield it from the weather. Also note that with the lower light conditions rainy days bring it may be helpful to use a tripod if your hands are not steady. Smile to yourself #ecotherapy #friluftsliv #naturetherapy #outdoors #wellbeing #island #rain #rainydays #colour #saturation #arctic #hammerfest #finnmark #norway #twowildfeet ____________________ Location : Hammerfest, Norway Source information : https://www.pbsnc.org/blogs/science/w... https://www.ipm.org/show/amomentofsci... Music : A Rainy Day (Victor Lundberg), Epidemic Sound