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

Embrace of bark and shadow — a sculptural fusion of decay and resilience, where nature folds into itself like memory.

#BirchTree #MonochromeNature #SplitToning #TreeTexture #NatureAbstract #ConceptualLandscape #OrganicForms #FineArtPhotography #VisualPoetry #NatureSculpture #ArtOfDecay #BotanicalSurrealism #DarkElegance #BlackAndWhitePhotography #TreePortrait

I know that this picture stands out from the rest and disturbs some viewers. Most people ask me if I was drunk when I took it. On that day, I had the song “A Forest” by The Cure stuck in my ear, so I did what I had to do.

#intentionalcameramovement #thecure #forestphotography #naturephotography #birchforest #moodylandscape #forestpath #dreamlikephoto #intothedark #fineartphotography #mistywoods #surrealnature #treeportrait #twilightwalk

A park inside a park near a bunker in #Braunschweig #landscape #panorama #gigapixel #photostitching #woods #deepinthewoods #photography #parkwood #darktrees #lightvsdark #naturephotography #woodlandphotography #treeportrait #woodlandbeauty #capturethelight #naturalbeauty #landscapephotography #gigapixel #photostitching #panoramicview #sceniclandscape #highresolution #naturephotography #visualartistry

D’or, de sinople et d’azur - day#077 - year#12
https://photos.acobas.net/One-photo-a-day-every-day
.
.
.
#willow #mistletoe #goldgreenblue #heraldiccolors #treeportrait #naturepatterns #winterbranches #skycontrast #botanicalbeauty #seasonalcolors #natureframe 365Project #EverydayPhoto #MyDailyShot #VisualDiary #PhotoChronicle #365Moments #DailyFrame #Acobas365 #PierreAcobas #CapturedToday #MomentsOf2025 #DailyVisuals #OneDayOnePhoto #Creative365 #Project365 #DailyPixels #PhotoStory #365DaysOfArt

#ruralsketching #ruralsketch #pleinair #pleinairjanuary #treeportrait #treepainting #oaktree #neocolor

sometimes when i try to find good photographs to transform them into painting i realise that there are special secret places that people come back to and document them - this extraordinary tree holding roots is truly amazing - i portrayed this sculpture in 2014 acrylic on canvas 140x110cm
this painting is one out of 135 paintings you find in MÄANDER by HATJE&CANTZ 2024.
if you order the art book in december 2024 you automatically take part in the lottery for an original painting 60x60cm!
💌 To order, email m@mioke.de
i’m very proud of this publication!
next to paintings from the last 10 years you find poetic thoughts by frank weber, merlin sheldrake, lina josephina lindqvist, marianna andrly & bus126 as well as dogen, walters benjamin and zhuangzi
🖌️MÄANDER hardcover / 160 pages / GER + ENG
130 illustrations / 22.3 x 25.7 cm / 44€ Published by Hatje Cantz 2024

🖼️ you find all available paintings in a pdf on www.mioke.de > for you > originals
#roots #treeportrait #landmark #timelapse #lottery #winapainting # #moki #mossytree #meander #hiddenplaces #mioke.de #painting #hatjecantz #landmark
if someone knows this place i would be glad to know where it is!?