Capturing the quiet magic of everyday - Interview with Dita on Nature Photography
- Prathibha Muralidhara
- Jun 1
- 6 min read
Some photographers, silently inspire me and make me fall in love with small moments, with nature and one such beautiful creator photographer is Dita, who runs Nested in Nature Photography. I wanted to introduce her and her work for the month of May!
"As a highly sensitive person, it was there—living by the ocean—that I discovered the quiet strength of the natural world"
Your photography beautifully captures the quiet magic of everyday moments in nature. How did your journey into this style of storytelling begin?
Firstly, thank you so much for this opportunity to share the story behind my photography!
I believe this journey began in my early twenties, when I first became aware of the profound solace I found in spending time in nature. Around that time, I also began to travel more and eventually moved abroad to Cornwall in the UK.
As a highly sensitive person, it was there living by the ocean that I discovered the quiet strength of the natural world. I began to notice how much more content and grounded I felt, especially when wandering the coastlines alone, in those still, silent spaces that nature offers so generously.
By making space for silence in my everyday life, I was able to shift my focus to the small miracles around me. This connection deepened when I picked up my first camera and began capturing those moments, sharing the sense of wholeness I found in nature with others.
It’s quite spectacular to experience the level of harmony we can have outdoors when we strip away daily distractions, even if only for a moment. It’s such a simple thing, yet so profoundly compelling and I hope that is what my photography conveys.
Can you walk us through your creative process—from finding inspiration to planning a shoot and editing the final image?
My creative process probably seems pretty lazy to some—haha! I really just go with the flow, and intuition is what drives my creativity. That’s basically how I live my life and how I approach all of my projects. I need to feel into things.
I'm inspired by simplicity—I don’t like to overcomplicate anything. I always try to capture subjects in their realness and authenticity especially when travelling (which is probably why my partner ends up as the main character in most of my photos—haha). The same goes for editing. I just want to show things as they truly are, so that people can imagine themselves experiencing that moment too.
Sometimes we come across these unbelievably beautiful images and don’t realize how much polishing and tweaking went into creating them. And while I do think those kinds of photos absolutely deserve their spotlight, they can sometimes create a disconnect between the image and the viewer. That gap might even leave us feeling not good enough—or a bit sad—especially when the scene doesn’t reflect reality.
I used to drive myself crazy chasing perfection while shooting. But over time, I realized that the photos I love most are the imperfectly perfect ones. The spontaneous, in-the-moment shots that you can’t plan or recreate—and that are available to all of us.
Oh, and I love making vision boards, both in my journals and online—yay for Pinterest!
Have any photographers or visual artists significantly influenced your style or philosophy?
As I mentioned earlier, Lisa Michele Burns is someone I truly look up to. Her minimalistic images are utterly stunning and continue to reinforce my belief that less really is more. I also admire Svenja Kruger for the intricately woven storytelling she brings to her work—there’s such depth in every frame.
My fascination only grows when I look at the art of Natalie Karpushenko and how seamlessly she blends her models with natural elements in a way that feels both organic and profound.
Leia Vita Marasovich is another of my absolute favorite creatives. Her recent project, which involves working alongside and supporting Indigenous communities, really resonates with me. That kind of work feels very close to my heart. I believe there’s a collective need for us to return to ancient wisdoms and rewild our ways of living—and Leia captures that beautifully through her storytelling.
Your compositions feel very intentional yet organic. How do you approach framing and working with natural light during your shoots?
I’m still learning how to use natural light to my advantage. Framing and composition come fairly naturally to me, but I’ve also picked up a lot along the way—shoutout to Lisa from The Wandering Lens! Her work really taught me how to use foreground elements to give my images that extra oomph.
A lot of the time, I simply experiment—see what works, what doesn’t—and stay curious. I try to approach my creativity without judgment. Sometimes, an idea feels so exciting in my head, but in reality, it just doesn’t work out the way I imagined—and that’s totally okay.
I’m only in my second year of taking photography more seriously, so I know that many skills will come with time and experience. I’m just enjoying the process and learning as I go.
What role does sustainability or environmental consciousness play in your work, especially when shooting in natural spaces?
Big question. Lately, I’ve been reframing what environmental consciousness really means to me—and I’ve come to realize that I want to aim beyond sustainability. I don’t just want the planet to survive; I want it to thrive—on every level. Maybe that’s me romanticizing reality, who knows. But I try to carry that mindset into my photography as well.
Having studied tourism and hospitality, and having witnessed the impact of overtourism—especially when amplified by social media—I genuinely hope the industry can go through a kind of renaissance. That’s why I try to move through the places I visit with more care and reverence. The same goes for what I choose to share online, especially when it comes to tagging locations. I’m not a fan of seeing sacred spaces turned into Instagram hotspots.
Unfortunately, we humans can sometimes have bizarre—and even harmful—ways of interacting with nature and wilderness. And I think it’s time we start questioning that more deeply.
What draws you most to nature as your primary subject, and how do you think it influences the mood of your images?
As the quote on my website by Tamarack Song says: “To know nature is to know yourself.” I feel that viscerally—because we are nature. We’ve simply modernized our ways of living to fit into imposed structures, but deep down, I believe we’re all longing for a bit of rewilding.
Life can feel overwhelming at times. Nature not only brings coherence back into the picture (pun intended!), but more importantly, it brings connection—and awe. Penetrating the true sense of belonging.
I hope the vibe of my images is simple and clear: go touch the grass.
How does the lifestyle and culture of a place influence your creative process? What about it influences and inspires you the most?
Travel definitely helps me shift perspective and see things in a new light—that’s one of the reasons I love it so much. Different cultures and places have the power to open up parts of me that others simply can’t.
The diversity of traditions and ways of living across the planet is incredibly rich. By immersing myself in different environments and landscapes, I not only keep my inspiration flowing more easily, but I also learn so much—about the world, and about myself.
That inner growth is what truly influences how I see life, and ultimately, how I choose to capture it through my lens.
I love your edits. Can you take us through the editing process of a photograph of your choice step by step?
Thank you so much—that truly means a lot to me, especially because I often struggle with editing and creating a consistent flow that turns my photos into a cohesive gallery.
My editing process is fairly simple. I like to keep my photos looking as natural as possible, but I do enjoy adding a touch of warmth and giving them a slight vintage feel at the end.
I usually start by adjusting the light, then move on to creating a gentle S-curve and playing with contrast and shadows. I tend to keep my tones on the warmer side. I go light on texture and clarity, using the sharpening tool to bring the focus back in—and, of course, I always finish with a touch of my beloved grain.
Learn more from this incredible travel photographer here:
Instagram - @nestedinnature_photography
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