Abstract

Category Winner

Jan Boer (1)
Pelinckbos (Drenthe)
100mm, 2.5s at f/20, ISO 100

By carefully selecting autumn leaves and photographing them with the right equipment, one can capture the fine details and patterns created by leafminers as they tunnel through the leaves. These narrow, sinuous trails are created by insect larvae, such as leaf miners, eating through the leaf tissue and leaving characteristic lines.

Runner-up

Wouter van de Weerd (2)
Loosdrechtse Plassen (North Holland)
24mm; 1/2000s at f/1.7; ISO 130

This photo was taken at the swimming beach ‘De Strook’. In late January 2024, there was a brief winter period with frost and some snow. After going out with my regular camera the day before, I took my drone out in search of unusual winter landscapes. Photographing straight down, this abstract image caught my eye.

Honourable Mentions

Marijn Heuts (3)
Limburg
109mm; 1/60s at f/14; ISO 1600

After a few days of solid frost, the shallow waters in the area have frozen over. On days with clear skies, the open landscape offers little variation, making the search for shapes and patterns in the ice a fascinating activity. Here, the already beautiful pattern of several square meters of ice is enhanced by a tree felled by beavers beneath the water's surface, which warmly reflects the sunlight.

Roeli van Til (4)
Noordbergum (Friesland)
50mm; 1/2000s at f/2.8; ISO 100

This photo was taken on a moor full of spiders. I regularly go there in the morning to photograph spider webs with backlight. This time, I used the Lensbaby Sweet 50, which distorts the dewdrops in the web. Underexposure creates the black background. The photo was taken with backlight from the sun.

 
Roeli van Til (5)
Feanwâlden (Friesland)
105mm; 6s at f/14; ISO 100

This photo shows the tail feathers of a magpie, a window victim. I was fascinated by the colors and textures of the feathers and took the picture with a 105mm macro lens. It is a double exposure, which adds depth of field to the photo and makes the structures more abstract.
 

Veerle Decocq (6)
Turnhout (Belgium)
400mm; 1/640s at f/10; ISO 1600

At the edge of the Winkelsbroek Nature Reserve, I parked my car among the trees. As I packed my backpack, I noticed a trail of wood ants next to me, busily working. I followed the trail and discovered an ant burrow in the making a few meters away. With my camera pointed straight down, I captured this super busy scene.