Heavy snow, slow motion lives

Heavy snow has a way of forcing the world to slow down. Yesterday that became very tangible when I watched a van and a car carefully pass each other on an icy, snow-covered road. Weather alerts were active across the Netherlands, and for many people this meant stress, risk, and necessary travel. For me, it meant something else: a rare chance to observe how landscapes and human behavior change under extreme conditions.

This image was taken handheld with the Canon 5D Mark IV and the Sigma 100–400mm, pushed hard at ISO 12800 and f/29 to hold enough depth and structure in the chaos of falling snow. In conditions like this, photography becomes a balance between physics and patience. Snow scatters light, reduces contrast, and confuses autofocus systems — your camera doesn’t “see” snow as atmosphere, only as obstacles. You have to work with that limitation, not against it.

What fascinated me most wasn’t just the snow itself, but the rare phenomenon that accompanied the storm: lightning during snowfall. Cold air aloft combined with moisture-rich clouds from the relatively warm sea can create enough vertical energy for electrical discharge — something we still rarely witness here.

If you don’t have to be on the road during days like these: grab your camera instead. But walk carefully. Nature may slow us down, yet it always gives something back to those who stop and look.

#snowstorm #winterphotography #extremeweather #documentaryphotography
#climateobservation #weatherwatching #snowinthenetherlands #handheldphotography
#canon5dmarkiv #sigma100400 #highisophotography #lowvisibility
#roadsafety #slowdown #natureandhumans #weatherpatterns
#scienceinnature #observationalphotography #landscapeinwinter
#tilburg #013tilburg #dutchwinter #stormchasing #lightninginsnow
#environmentalawareness #pixelfedphotography
#ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #wonderinglens
#ThroughTheWonderingLens

Winter finally arrived

After weeks that were far too warm for the time of year, winter finally decided to show up. Properly. Snow, ice, low visibility — the full package.
Yesterday, my wife Christel and I headed out to the birth forest near Tilburg Noord. (het geboortebos) Christel joined in mild protest (very understandable, given the icy roads and sideways snowfall), while I trusted our Hyundai Ioniq 5, winter tires, and snow mode to do their thing.

We were prepared. Layers, gloves, hoods — even the cameras were wrapped in rain covers to protect them from melting snow. Walking through the dense forest felt almost monochrome, quiet, and muted. Strangely enough, there wasn’t much to photograph at first. Snow can do that: it simplifies the world, sometimes almost too much.

Until we reached this lane.

A long, straight path lined with trees on both sides, perfectly aligned toward the center. The snowfall came in sideways, coating the right side of every trunk in white, while the left side remained dark, wet, and exposed. A natural demonstration of wind direction, moisture, and surface texture — physics written directly onto bark. No added drama needed.

There was no subject to place in the frame. And honestly, the lane didn’t need one. Christel wisely declined volunteering (the weather was already turning her into something resembling a molten snow-woman), and I can’t blame her.

What stayed with me most was the sound — the crunch of fresh snow underfoot. That rare winter silence.

Afterwards, we warmed up at De Financiën with a chai latte and an apple–pecan cinnamon pancake dusted in powdered sugar. Science may explain snow, but comfort food is just comfort.

#winterphotography #snowylane
#naturalpatterns #weatherandphysics #sidewayssnow #forestlane
#minimalcomposition #quietlandscape #coldwalks
#outdoorphotography #DutchWinter #BrabantNature
#climateandweather #seasonalchange
#PixelfedPhotography #NatureStories
#WonderingLens #wonderinglens
#ByMaikeldeBakker

Wandering in an icy wonderland. We got to see large icehair (biggest one pictured!) and got to say hi to some deer, horses and a eurasian jay :) best way to start the new week if you ask me!

#naturephotography #dutchnature #dutchwinter #veluwe #frost #winterwonderland #icehair #nisseskaeg #trees #ferns #morningwalk #forestbathing