Fairytale Images from the Forests of the Netherlands

Since the end of 2016, I have been actively involved with photography and mainly forest photography. I did not study photography, so in the beginning, it was mainly learning how the camera works and the basic rules about colour, composition and lighting. Personally, I find the forest the most fun subject to photograph because it changes completely every season, which keeps it fascinating.

The forests of the Netherlands are like a fairytale. Photo by: 'Rob Visser'.

Forests are fun to photograph in the Netherlands as they change with the seasons. Photo by: 'Rob Visser'.

Forest in autumn. Photo by: 'Rob Visser'.

Sunlight peaks through the clouds. Photo by: 'Rob Visser'.

Seasons change. Photo by: 'Rob Visser'.

I bought my Nikon D5100 about 3 years ago, but used the camera very little until I woke up early in the autumn on a misty morning at the end of 2016, specifically to take pictures in the forest. At the time, I caught the famous photography bug and soon, I find myself going out early every weekend to shoot in the forests of the Netherlands.

Shooting forests on the weekends in the Netherlands. Photo by: 'Rob Visser'.

Moods change with the atmosphere. Photo by: 'Rob Visser'.

An enchanting glow. Photo by: 'Rob Visser'.

Shooting photos is only a small part of the "fun". For me, the photos really come to life with the necessary post-processing that only reinforces the atmosphere of the moment.

The Fairy Forest. Photo by: 'Rob Visser'.

The photo above is called "The Fairy Forest". It was taken in December 2016 on Estate Gorp and Roovert. The cold night and morning had created a lot of fog, which stayed in the forest for hours. At one point, the sun broke through, which created fairytale scenes. At that time, the weather conditions were ideal for shooting the most beautiful pictures. My SD memory card was soon full of them!

Diamond. Photo by: 'Rob Visser'

For the photo above, titled "Diamond", I was up very early on a summer morning to record the sun’s rays in the Liesbos, a forest in Breda. This avenue is my favourite spot in the forest and on this morning, the sun also moved straight across the avenue. At the perfect moment, the rays spread like a diamond through the trees, which made for the best photo I ever created of this place.

Light brings the forest alive. Photo by: 'Rob Visser'.

Autumn colours suit a forest. Photo by: 'Rob Visser'.

I hope that these photos will inspire you to get out and practice photography in the landscape around you. There is so much beauty to be captured out there, even if you visit the same places often, as the changing of the seasons will give you the opportunity to find something different and unique to photograph.

For more information on Rob's work, visit his Instagram!

Autumn is when the landscape really comes alive. See Iceland in earthy hues on this 9-Day Autumn Photo Workshop!