Marcus Nicholas inspired by Caledon’s landscapes, beauty of nature in his travels

January 4, 2024 · 0 Comments

Area author releases photo journal

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A local photographer and author has released his first reflection journal after many long days of hard work.

Marcus Nicholas, featured in the Citizen last year, has completed and released his 90-day reflection journal that features images from Caledon and beyond.

Nicholas started creating his journal during the COVID-19 pandemic when he was feeling the impacts of isolation and dealing with the loss of his father.

In those difficult times he turned to the great outdoors and photography to help him get by.

This spawned the idea of creating a reflection journal other people could use to guide them in moments of silence and reflection, for the betterment of their mental health.

Nicholas said the power of nature is amazing when it comes to focusing on things other than one’s problems.

“Just realizing our problems are not as big as we make them to be,” said Nicholas.

Nicholas lives north of Caledon in Loretto, and is a frequent visitor to Caledon’s many beautiful hiking trails. He said Caledon is a place where he can always find peace.

Nicholas’ journal is called 90 Days: A Faithful Journey Through Nature and can be purchased online on Amazon. He said it features everything from close-up shots of caterpillars to beautiful, wide landscape shots.

One of Nicholas’ favourite pictures in his journal is of a pond off of Highway 50 near Palgrave where he often sees people fishing.

In creating and publishing his journal, Nicholas said he learned the importance of patience. It took him nearly three years to create his journal. When finished, he held a virtual launch event that was attended by people from different parts of the world, which he said was a great feeling.

While Nicholas used bible verses in his journal, he explained the journal could be used by someone of any faith, as it’s all about self-reflection.

“No matter what nationality or religion you are, during COVID we all struggled,” said Nicholas. “The journal is meant to inspire.”

Since releasing the journal, Nicholas has begun working on a second one since he loved the process and the feeling of publishing his work. He said one of the most rewarding things has been receiving pictures of people holding his book.