Landscapes, Weather, and Natural Phenomena
Category Winner
Edwig Vanhassel (1)
Pepingen (Belgium)
12,29mm; 1/80s at f/5; ISO 100
The beautiful structures, shapes, and cracks in the ice of a flooded meadow were most clearly visible from above. Using a drone, I captured the stunning patterns in the ice. Bird footprints added an extra dimension to the scene. It’s amazing to see how a meadow, where cows graze in the summer, transforms into such a beautiful sight in winter.
Runner-up
Michel Lucas (2)
Schuitwater Nature Reserve (Limburg)
16mm; 1.0s at f/11; ISO 100
Last winter, I visited Schuitwater for the second time. There was still a surprising amount of snow left, which contrasted nicely with the reddish-brown seepage water. I placed the tree on the islet in the centre of the frame as a focal point. I liked how the water was forming a line from that point, and how the tree trunks were reflected in the water.
Honourable Mentions
Piet Haaksma (3)
Potschar Nature Reserve (Friesland)
65mm; 1/400 at f/10; ISO 640
This photo was taken on a winter morning in a nature reserve near Sneek. At night, numerous barnacle geese stay there, leaving early in the morning for their feeding grounds. It was amazing to see them flying not away from me, but over me. The colours of the sunrise and the frosted landscape completed the picture.
Guus Ruimers (4)
Ameland (Friesland)
24mm; 1/400s at f/18; ISO 400
On this day on Ameland’s North Sea beach, numerous showers hung over the water. When I looked up again from the row of dunes where I was photographing, I saw a huge, heavy shower—probably a waterspout—hanging over the water. I quickly ran to the water’s edge to include the wet beach in the foreground. A true spectacle!
Edwin Rem (5)
Medemblik (North Holland)
25mm; 1/400s at f/9; ISO 6400
In 2024, we had a few days with severe frost, during which I drove to the Vooroever to capture the frozen banks. Just before sunrise, the colours in the sky were still soft, and a flight of greylag geese flying overhead completed the picture. To keep the geese in focus and maintain sufficient depth of field, I had to increase the ISO considerably.
Bert Faber (6)
Staphorst (Overijssel)
12,3mm; 1/15s at f/3.2; ISO 200
I took this photo at Zwarte Dennen Recreation Lake with a drone in late autumn. Many trees had already dropped their leaves or had turned brown. Across the fen, one tree still had yellow leaves, providing a nice contrast to the otherwise brown world. I captured a vertical panorama consisting of two shots, which I later merged and edited in Capture One.
Danny Slijfer (7)
Dieren (Gelderland)
135mm; 1/1600s at f/5.6; ISO 640
On a cold, misty winter morning, I stood on the dike and looked out over the floodplain, where the river IJssel had burst its banks. I saw a nice composition of largely flooded pollard willows with their reflections, and ‘floating’ poplars in the background. Yet something was still missing. I waited until two coots appeared in just the right spot to complete the picture.
