Sunseekers

It's the most beautiful time of year again! Temperatures are rising, birds are in love and all kinds of delicate flowers peep out of the ground and reach for the sun. I had figured out several plans for photography last weekend, but was not able to execute anyone of them because an unwilling muscle in my back decided it would be nice if I could not move head and neck for a few days. Ouch! Because the weather had been so nice, I had a strong feeling of frustration when at work on Monday, so decided to take the Tuesday off. I went for a walk in a small nature reserve consisting of several wet grasslands. Because of the calcium rich soil, several species of rare flowers thrive here.


Of these the True Oxlip (Primula elatior, Slanke Sleutelbloem) could be found in large numbers. Later in the season, various orchid species will be in bloom and I will certainly be back there then. On the way back, I found thousands of Wood Anemones (Anemone nemorosa, Bosanemoon) clustered in a small patch of Alder marsh. As it was still early in the day, the sun had not reached the forest floor and most flowers had their heads down, just like me on Friday. Some already reached for the sun and did as I did: heads up! I am sure my back was happy that I had brought the anglefinder...

Wood Anemone; Canon 5D Mark II w. 150/2.8; 1/640s at F2.8 and ISO200; handheld with anglefinder

Into the Blue

Just back from Iceland, I received a message that the Moor Frogs (Rana arvalis; Heikikker) had emerged from their winter dwellings and had started their annual activities: the males turn blue and make strange popping sounds to attract a female. As I had an enormous load of Iceland images to work through and the camera gear needed some serious cleaning, I decided to pass on the opportunity for this year.

Although I do see images of blue Moor Frogs pop up on the internet, it appears the height of the 'season' has already come to an end. When it happens, be quick as the spectacle only lasts for so long (usually a few days)!


Here's an image from two years ago, when I found myself in between a lot of blue males on a beautiful and sunny afternoon in March. Now it's time to think of subjects for the weeks to come. I do have some plans, but it all depends on whether the subjects are actually present and willing to cooperate. Stay tuned.

Moor Frog; Canon 1D Mark III w. 90/2.8 macro; 1/160s at F4 and ISO800; handheld on elbows in water.

Fire in the Sky

Back from an amazing 8-day trip to Iceland with fellow nature photographer Andrew George. We started with not so interesting weather for photography, but along the way it got from better to perfect. Stormy skies and hailstorms on the black beaches of Vik, snowy lavafields on the road to the Jökulsárlon, beautiful sunrises and sunsets at the icelake itself and frozen waterfalls on the way back to the airport. Most amazing of all, we got to see the famous Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis, Noorderlicht) no less than 5 times in those 8 days! The predictions for an active sunwind were very favourable, but one also needs clear skies to be able to see the Aurora.


Well, we got those clear and icecold nights on several occasions. Not always was the Aurora very bright and one time it only lasted for about a minute, but on one occasion, it was both bright and lasted much longer. I still get goosebumps when looking at the shots I got. I am glad I did some internet research before the trip on how to photograph the Aurora. The information I found was spot on. Funny thing is I had expected the Aurora to come with sonor sounds. My mistake.

Busy weeks lie ahead, as I have way too many photographs to sort through and also need to make plans for Dutch spring, which seems well on its way.

Aurora Borealis; Canon 5D mark II w. 17-40/4; 15s at F4 and ISO1600; tripod and remote release.

Mostly Moist Moss

Here's another one from last week when I spent the majority of the morning with a small clump of Bristly Haircap (Polytrichum piliferum, Ruig Haarmos). This one was shot lying flat on the ground and with extension tubes and a converter used to be able to focus closer and obtain even more magnification. The larger the setup becomes, the harder it gets to keep the whole rig from moving. The nice thing about photography at such high magnification is that moving a few millimeters to the left or right can yield a completely different image. I simply move until the viewfinder shows something I like. A very rewarding and unhasty way of photography.


Bristly Haircap; Canon 5D Mark II w. 150/2.8, 1.4x and extension tubes; 1/25s at F2.8 and ISO200; tripod