2021 was another very active photography year for me. The corona pandemic still had the whole world in its grip and also in the Netherlands we painfully moved from one lockdown or semi-lockdown period to the next, with some little breathing spaces in between. At times our freedom of movement was quite limited and social contacts were also only sparsely allowed. Reason enough for my sister Agnes and me to often seek each other’s company and to go out with the camera very regularly: luckily nature reserves within the Netherlands were always freely accessible, so we made ample use of that to visit beautiful places and go explore.
Early January, therefore, is the right time to look back on this year of photography and make a selection of my best photographs. This year the emphasis was very much on nature photography, while street or social photography – partly due to the circumstances – came off poorly. Following is a presentation of my own favourite photos this year. Not necessarily technically perfect photos, but images that tell a story, capture a unique moment or pass on a special experience.
These images you can also view in gallery style on my Photodeck website: click here
Birds
My own top-favourite photo this year was one from the ‘Reed bunting in the blizzard’ series. A special image that accurately reflects the harsh conditions for small birds and the need to survive in winter weather.
Flying birds were certainly a favourite this year as well. Perhaps this was the first year in which I really managed to get some good pictures of it, more than ‘just by accident’. But birds also remain a challenge in the water or on the ground, and it is exciting and exciting to portray them properly. The black-tailed godwits (and other meadow birds) on Marken, the spoonbills on Terschelling, the grebes in North Holland and Zeeland, the swans on the Veluwemeer, the ostrich in Artis and the greenfinches in the dunes of Egmond aan Zee… we enjoyed them all!
Snow storm, wind chill -11 degrees C., wind force 7, code red: no weather to go outside, so anyway! Swinging on the reeds, this reed bunting continues to diligently peck seeds.
Much needed food to stay alive…
Amsterdam Southeast, NLAmsterdam Southeast, NL.m Zuidoost, NL.
A group of oystercatchers flies overhead, their black and white plumage and orange beaks, eyes and feet stand out against the blue sky. It’s not surprising that they are also called ‘Bonte Pieten’ in Dutch (‘Colourful Petes’). Photo was taken at the floodplains of the IJssel after high water.
Deventer, Overijssel, Netherlands
A large group of curlews flying overhead.
Photo was taken at the floodplains of the IJssel shortly after high water.
Deventer, Overijssel, The Netherlands.
A group of wigeons fly over right above our heads and look down on us, babbling.
Marken, North-Holland, Netherlands.
Group of black-tailed godwits on the flooded meadow.
Marken, North-Holland, Netherlands.
Black-tailed godwit, three-toed sandpipers and a pair of teal, a varied company.
Marken, North-Holland, Netherlands.
Two black-tailed godwits by a puddle on the flooded meadow.
Marken, North Holland, Netherlands.
Two black-tailed godwits by a ditch and between them, dead silent and almost invisible, a hare on his bed.
I only saw it properly when I developed the photo at home
Marken, North Holland, Netherlands.
Four spoonbills looking for food in the shallow water of the Wadden Sea.
Terschelling, Friesland, Netherlands.
Meadow pipit with one foot up, on a fence pole in the dunes.
Oosterend, Terschelling, Friesland, Netherlands.
The dance of the mute swans, couple and partners for life.
Veluwemeer, Biddinghuizen, Flevoland, Netherlands.
The dance of the mute swans, couple and partners for life. Veluwemeer, Biddinghuizen, Flevoland, The Netherlands.
The male offers nesting material to the female. When this is accepted, the couple can start building their nest. Pair of grebes during the beautiful display of courtship.
Schardam, North-Holland, Netherlands.
A grebe family on the water. Two little ones on mommy’s back.
One little one rushes back to Daddy, who has a tasty snack.
Catharinapolder Terneuzen, Zeeland, Netherlands
This ostrich in Artis found the long telephoto lens interesting and came to take a look.
A moment later he snapped at it.
Artis Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Group of greenflies gather on the top of a willow bush.
North-Holland Dune Reserve. Egmond aan Zee, North-Holland, Netherlands.
Trees
Another theme that came up very often in my photography this past year was trees. Trees in the landscape or in small detail. This was partly due to the fact that at the beginning of 2021 we (Agnes and I) had completed the personal coaching traject, which we followed for most of 2020. As a final assignment, we had to submit a series of 8 photos. I chose the theme ‘Trees in weather and winter’ and decided to make a diptych for each tree of one wide photo (landscape) and one close-up or macro photo. I will show the result of this photography project in another blog post. However, due to the choice of the formula of a diptych per tree, some trees, of which I only had a wide shot, fell out. Others were made in another season and didn’t fit the winter theme at all. Some of my favourite tree photos are therefore given a place here.
Three beautiful water cypresses (Chinese giant sequoia) near the water in the winter park nearby.
When I went back later in the year to get more close-up photos, in order to identify the trees,
I had to search for a long time to find the place again, they looked so different in the fall!…
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species – Conservation Status: Endangered.
Bijlmer meadow, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Two beautiful solitary trees in the evening sun on the Westerheide.
Goois Nature Reserve, Hilversum and Laren, The Netherlands.
Stately lane with high beech trees through the forest on a sunny autumn day.
Spanderswoud, Goois nature reserve.
‘s-Graveland, Hilversum, Netherlands
Miniature plants and crawly creatures
May flowers, also called cuckoo flowers, lady’s smock, or milkmaids ( in Dutch Pentacost flowers) beautiful spring wildflowers growing along the river Gein.
Macro – close up. Abcoude, Province of Utrecht, Netherlands.
Shy emerald damselfly, female, sitting on a blade of grass.
Braakman North, Biervliet, Zeeland, Netherlands
Brown mini mushrooms among lichen (possibly Dove Heather Match – C. macilenta), on dead wood. s’Gravelandse buitenplaatsen (Country Estates), ‘s Graveland, North Holland, Netherlands.
Nymph of Grasshopper – Acrididae (possibly Coastal Grasshopper – Chorthippus albomarginatus).
Braakman North, Biervliet, Zeeland, Netherlands
Landscapes
seen from a less familiar perspective.
Markermeer, Marken, the Netherlands
Orange sunset with two hikers – silhouettes.
Egmond aan Zee, North Holland, Netherlands.
Two children play for a while by the water at sunset.
Egmond aan Zee, North Holland, Netherlands.
Street photography
A young woman, a co-worker of ‘Puur Terschelling’ brings a group
Friesian horses on the reins to the stable.
Oosterend, Terschelling, province Friesland, the Netherlands
Man and child sit together on a street bench on a sunny shopping day with social distancing restrictions.
Street photography, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Four girls in the Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA train station with facemasks on, check their smartphones for the selfies they have just taken.
Streets of Amsterdam, Street Photography, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Discovering Beauty 