Landscape – Page 2 – Dr Tim R. Hofmeester

Photo of the Month May 2013

PotM 5-2013 — Photo of the Month May 2013

Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise

Last month I went on a holiday to one of Italy’s oldest National Parks, Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise. We went there on a ‘family’ holiday, so it was mainly walking in the mountains and through the villages, and taking it easy. On the other hand, we heard that seeing bears in this national park is relatively easy, so we spend a bit more than half of our evenings in places where there would be a chance to see bears. Unfortunately, we never saw a bear, but we did see some of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever witnessed. This months Picture of the Month was taken on our last evening on a look-out point in Gioia Vecchio, which was actually the parking lot of an old church, overlooking a valley. The combination of the setting sun, the dark clouds, and the many hills, made the picture, all I had to do was press the shutter button.

Canon 5D mIII, 70mm, 1/60 @ f/8, iso 200

Start of Spring – Abruzzo; Part 1

Lago Vivo
Canon 5D mIII, 22mm, 1/100 @ f/16, iso 200

The coming days I will show a series of photos taken during my Holiday in Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise. When we arrived on 10 April it was still winter in the region, but when we left no 22 April it was spring! With this series I hope to show the transition from winter to spring.
This first picture is taken at Lago Vivo, the only natural lake in the area. When walking up to the lake you are greeted with a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains (Monte Capraro, M. Petroso, M. Tartaro & M. Meta)

Geese

Today, most of the snow melted in the ongoing rain (at least here in Wageningen), ending the second period of snow this winter in the Netherlands. Fortunately, I took some time yesterday to take pictures while it was actually snowing again. I was looking for patterns and abstract forms in the snow, when I came across a large group of greater white-fronted geese. The geese were happily foraging in a meadow, and luckily they didn’t take too much notice of the strange photographer on his bike. I positioned myself in such a way that the geese made a nice line through the landscape and took some shots, of which one is shown above.

The nice thing about greater white-fronted geese, is that one of my colleagues (Mikhail Grishchenko) is studying them, which increased my interest in the species. They stay in the Netherlands during the winter, after which they migrate north. It is this spring migration that Mikhail studies, and especially the relation between the change in land-use in Russia during the last few decades, and the effect this has had on the migration routes and patterns of the geese.

Cold

Dawn at the Jufferswaard
Canon 5DmIII, 23mm, 25s @ f/16, iso 400, 0.9 ND grad, tripod, cable release

Finally winter is back in the Netherlands with subzero temperatures during the night. To celebrate this, I set the alarm at a time when it was still properly dark, and put on as many clothes as I could to cycle to a nearby Nature reserve. I was hoping for a nice sunrise with some fog, as the sky had been clear all night. Unfortunately, there was not a bit of fog in sight when I arrived at the Jufferswaard to take some pictures of the frozen water and hoar frost. There were also no clouds, so I minimized the amount of sky in the frame and took al my pictures before sunrise, as after sunrise the light quickly became to harsh and I could go home again.

When I arrived at my bike, the hoar frost had taken my bike and transformed it into an icicle. Luckily it still functioned and I was back home right in time for breakfast and a warm cup of coffee.

Forlorn

Common juniper on a desolate field
5D mIII, 40mm, 1/160 @ f/8, iso 800

The last two days I was on a short trip to the Dwingelderveld, a National Park in the Dutch province Drenthe. The weather was grey and wet, which combined very nicely with the open plains and lonely juniper bushes, especially when converted to black and white. The Dwingelderveld is a beautiful area, which I can strongly recommend, although I would advise people to go there during the spring or summer, when the fens are filled with amphibians and surrounded by insects.

Photo of the Month January 2013

The first Photo of the Month on the new website is an image I took during the short period of snow we had in the beginning of December 2012. I didn’t have much time to go out and take pictures, so I took my camera with me during field work and spend 30 minutes during lunch brake taking some pictures. Because I didn’t have a tripod with me, and because of the amount of branches sticking out from the snow, I decided to experiment with unsharp pictures due to camera shake. I really liked this black and white version, which conveyed the mood I was looking for.

Canon 40D, 50mm, 1/8 @ f/16, iso 100