As is so often the case for me, I went to a location with a loose plan and came home with something completely different. This piece of forest on the outskirts of Hillerød is known for its little island in the middle of a lake. On the island is a picturesque ruin of an old building. I have been there before about three years ago, but wasn't satisfied with my images of the ruin. I figured I should give it another shot. And what happens? I came home with some amazing pictures of something completely different. I did shoot the ruin too, but again, I wasn't happy with the result. So here instead are pictures of the surrounding lake and forest. Just before sunset the most brilliant sidelight penetrated the forest, illuminating it from the side and behind in the most amazing way. I was mesmerized and forgot all about the old ruin. This was 10 times better.

Another walk in Gribskov at mostly well-known locations. However, I believe that at least the waterfall image is my best attempt at capturing that particular spot so far. The day also saw me experimenting with myself as the subject. I was wearing a knitted hat with a built-in headlight and positioned myself in an underpass while shooting a 15-second exposure. As hoped the result was quite interesting, although I did have to enhance it quite a bit to make the effect more noticeable.

Another day in the woods with gray skies and no light whatsoever. I struggled to find any compositions of interest, but then as I was walking home along the Strødam Lake, light finally appeared in the shape of an orange sunset below gloomy clouds. Combining this with a long exposure image of a creek below me ensured some kind of result that made it all worthwhile. I was also reasonably happy with the silhouette tree shot on a winter sky background.

Another quick walk in my local area that turned much longer than I had planned. Mostly because the light turned out half-decent as the winter sun set over the lake.

A crazy day on the north coast and in the neighboring forest. I have rarely walked so much in one day, but it was absolutely worth it. After a couple of attempts, I finally found one of the spots in the forest that has made it unique. The closeness to the beach has shaped the trees in strange curls and twists that make the place look like something out of the Inception movie. Still, it's not necessarily easy to photograph as your images easily become messy and confused. This is an incredible area that should be crowded with landscape photographers from all over the world, but I had it all to myself. And I will be back. I will soooo be back!

A walk in my local forest that - despite the gray weather and complete absence of interesting light - turned out better than expected photography-wise.

A beautiful area that was nearly impossible to photograph. The light was harsh from the low January sun, and the view of the lake was constantly blocked by various growth. I had to abandon several promising compositions, because one of those factors kept getting in the way. But I did come away with these three decent images, but that was about it.

A return to the spot where I took the very first picture with a camera I could call my own. Way back in 1990 I took over my grandmother's old camera and took a picture in an old abandoned gravel pit that had turned into a lake. The picture was good enough that I still have it on my wall:

It wasn't possible to recreate the above image. Apart from the light being very different, the area has changed a lot since 1990. There is a lot more water in the lake and the growth around it is thicker. Instead, I focused on the surrounding forest, but also managed to get a hero picture of myself standing at the lake. All in all, a nice return, if mostly for the memories.

My last outing of 2019 was also one of the most succesful. Actually, for a long time it looked like I may not come home with anything as the light was harsh and my inspiration gone. But the whole time I put my faith in an image I actually had had in mind for months: a shot down one of the canals with the sun setting in the horizon between the buildings. So I had actually researched when the sun would set in the right place and timed my venture into Copenhagen in accordance to that. And boy, the result was exactly as I had envisioned. I love these images taken down the canal, and they ended my photography year on a high note.

Back in Gribskov for some run-of-the-mill forest photography in soggy surroundings. At least my boots held up. Not so sure about the photography as I'm starting to feel a little burned out on snow-less winter forest photography in dreary and boring light.

After a lot of forest photography, I finally pulled myself together to do something different. And what a day I had at the beach! The winds were strong, and as a result the windchill became almost unbearable. But sporting a brand new Norwegian coat (they know how to make coats) and new waterproof boots, I pulled through and was rewarded with some of my favorite images of the year so far. And of course, while waiting for sunset I couldn't help wandering into the forest behind the beach to get a treescape or two.

A long, long walk deep into Gribskov forest, during which I at one point twisted my already sore back, causing a pain so bad I thought I would never make it back home. But the pain subsided after several minutes and I was able to slowly and carefully walk the remaining 3-4 kilometers. I even managed to stop and take the image of the red gate in front of an orange and pink colored forest, one of my favorites of the day. Before that, my original target of Gribskov Lake had turned out to be a dud photography-wise, but I manged to capture other forest scenes that I was happy with.