Some scenes only reveal their magic when you strip them down to the essentials. I rarely choose black and white — often it feels like an escape hatch when colour fails. But on my latest Arnhem adventure, standing on a hill overlooking a quiet valley west of Park Sonsbeek, colour wasn’t the problem… it was the distraction.

Among the dark reds and browns of late autumn, one bright yellow tree stood defiantly luminous. In colour, it looked beautiful. But in black and white, it transformed completely: its yellow leaves turning almost white, while the surrounding forest dropped into deep shadow. The effect resembled infrared photography — a glowing silhouette breaking through a monochrome world.

Nature doesn’t present these contrasts often, at least not with this kind of precision. It reminded me of the way light interacts with pigments: yellow leaves reflect more of the spectrum, so once converted to monochrome, they soar toward the highlights while other wavelengths sink away. A tiny lesson in physics, hidden inside a valley.

I shot it handheld with my Canon 5DsR and Sigma 24–70 Art at f/2.8, 1/500 sec, ISO 125. The late-afternoon sky was blue with a soft feather-cloud drifting across it — the last warmth of a day that felt oddly mild for the season (yay climate change… said with all the sarcasm required).

Sometimes, simplicity reveals the loudest truth.

#wonderinglens #ByMaikeldeBakker #BlackAndWhitePhotography #InfraredLook #Arnhem #Sonsbeek #NaturePhotography #TreeScenery #MonochromeMagic #FineArtNature #Canon5DsR #Sigma2470Art #HandheldPhotography #ObservationalPhotography #ForestValley #DutchNature #LandscapeFrame #NaturalContrast #AutumnLeaves #LightAndShadow #MoodyLandscape #PhysicsOfLight #InfraredEffect #CreativeMonochrome #PhotoStorytelling #NatureDetails #DutchLandscape #MinimalistNature #PhotographyIsScience #ArtOfObservation #OutdoorAdventures #ForestPhotography #TreePortrait #QuietNature #ValleyView #FramedByNature #WonderingLensPhotography

Light
https://zhhz.cc/20251111/

#BlackAndWhite #DramaticScene #CinematicVibes #MoodyLighting #CreativeLighting #ArtisticShot #AbstractPhotography #AtmosphericLighting #MonochromeMagic #LightAndShadow #DailyPhoto #Photography @photography@a.gup.pe

Every ugly has a pretty.

That thought crossed my mind while waiting for my camera buddy at the Tilburg Central Station. In front of me stood one of the newest buildings in town — and arguably one of the ugliest. It looms over the Burgemeester Stekelenburgplein, even blocking the view of our beautiful library.

But as I stood there with my Canon 5DsR and the Sigma Art 24–70, I started to look differently. Lines, angles, contrast — they all began to form something unexpected. The vertical structures reached upward, cutting through the morning sky like strokes of graphite on paper. Suddenly, it wasn’t an eyesore anymore, but a study of geometry and tone.

Photography, after all, teaches us to see — even in the places we’d rather look away from.

#BlackAndWhitePhotography #ArchitecturePhotography #UrbanLines #Canon5DsR #SigmaArt2470 #GeometryInNature #CityPhotography #Tilburg #TilburgCity #ModernArchitecture #FindingBeauty #LightAndShadow #PhotographyStudy #EveryUglyHasAPretty #CompositionMatters #MonochromeMagic #ArtThroughTheLens #StreetComposition #BuildingDesign #ByMaikelPhotography

Grimeton Radio Station, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Analog control panels from the Alexanderson transmitter system, still operational and used for longwave transmissions under callsign SAQ.
#GrimetonRadioStation #SAQ #AlexandersonTransmitter #LongwaveRadio #UNESCOWorldHeritage #HistoricRadio #RadioHistory #ElectromagneticHeritage #BlackAndWhitePhotography #MonochromeMagic #BW_Lovers #FineArtBW #IndustrialHeritage #VintageElectronics #ControlRoom #AnalogTech #HistoricTechnology #DocumentaryPhotography #VisualStorytelling #PhotographyIsArt #TimelessVisuals #RetroAesthetic

A dear old crazy friande

#BlackAndWhitePortrait #BWP #HighContrast #MoodyPortraits #Portraiture #CharacterStudy #BaldAndBearded #SmilingFace #LowKeyPhotography #CinematicVibes #PhotographyLovers #MonochromeMagic #DrinkInHand #CandidShot #DarkAesthetics

Calm, Captured. #LakeBlessington #WicklowMountains #Wicklow #CountyWicklow #IrishLakes #Ireland #EmeraldIsle #LandscapePhotography #MonochromeMagic #BlackAndWhite #NaturePhotography #OutdoorAdventures #TravelIreland #LakesideViews #smartphonephotography #photography

A recent visitor.

#sooc #Labrador #BrownLabrador #ChocolateLab #LabradorRetriever #LabLife #LabLove #DogPhotography #DogsOfPixelfed #DogPortrait #BlackAndWhiteDog #BWPhotography #MonochromeMagic #DogInBlackAndWhite #MonoDog #ClassicDogPhoto #TimelessPets #PetPortraiture #ArtOfMonochrome #BWPortraits #RetrieverLife #Dogstagram #Pupper #FurryFriend #DogInFocus #Labstagram

Echoes of Life

#MonochromeNature #BWPhotography #LeafDecay #FadingLife #NatureInBlackAndWhite #OrganicPatterns #LifeAndDeath #SeasonsPassing #NatureAbstract #MacroDetails #LeafArt #NaturalTextures #BWMacro #WitheringBeauty #BotanicalArt #VeinsOfLife #NatureContrast #BWCloseup #BeautyInDecay #MonochromeMagic

The mist lay over the water as if someone had carefully covered the lake with a thin blanket. The sun, breaking through the gray clouds, left only pale reflections on the surface — like memories of warmth that once lingered here. The empty pier stretched into the still expanse, like a road to the unknown. It felt as though, with just one step forward, you could find yourself in a world where time moved slower and every breath was filled with cool air and silence.

It was an evening when the lake kept someone’s secret… and perhaps was ready to share it only with the one who dared to stay until the very last light.

#BlackAndWhitePhotography #LakeView #MistyEvening #FilmPhotography #VintageVibes #Lakeside #SereneScenery #SunsetPhotography #PierView #TranquilWaters #MonochromeMagic #FoggyMood #NaturePhotography #PeacefulView #ScenicSunset