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Looking for heather

Not writing a blog post for half a year is a long time, too long of course. There were several good reasons for this temporary absence, which I will not elaborate on. But with this post I am simply picking up where I left off six months ago.


I have wanted to try to take some nice photos of flowering heather for a while now. And yes, in terms of timing you do not have the entire calendar year at your disposal. After all, heather only blooms for a few weeks in August and/or September, depending on the weather conditions.


So last August it was time to hit the road. A quick look in the 'Photo Location Bible' led me to the Rucphense and Kalmthoutse Heide, two well-known heathland areas in North Brabant. Once I got there, I was a bit disappointed. They are certainly beautiful nature reserves, where you can wander around wonderfully. But I found it difficult to take appealing photos there. A large heath without a real subject is, so to speak, like an apple strudel without whipped cream, something is missing.


Below are two photos in which I have indeed captured a subject in the middle of heath, but they are photos that I, at least, cannot really like.


Fortunately, there are enough natural areas where heather grows and soon after that my eye fell on the Mookerheide in the north of Limburg. And boy, what a difference. From the very first moment I felt a certain vibe here, which I missed in those other areas. The rolling hills that provided a beautiful depth effect, the views, everything felt so different here. I think that difference in feeling can also be seen in the photos below.



This composite panorama definitely stands out for me. The depth in the landscape ensures that the viewer's eyes are guided through the image from front to back.

A day later I more or less accidentally ended up at the Strabrechtse Heide. Here too I was pleasantly surprised by the many possibilities to take appealing photos. It is simply a very varied part of the Netherlands, where heathland, forests, fens and small sand drifts alternate beautifully. Absolutely recommended, with or without a camera.





I noticed in the evening that it would be a cold and clear night, so I set the alarm for the next morning in the hope of some morning mist. And my hope came true. The day before I had walked past a beautiful viewpoint at one of the fens and that seemed to me a perfect place for a panorama. But I have to be honest, that the result was a bit disappointing.

Fortunately, shortly afterwards I came across a piece of heathland, where there was a bit more ground mist. I had a small, photogenic oak tree in mind, of which I took quite a few photos. My favourite photo of that morning is the one below, where the sun just shines on the top of the tree. As so often, I had not set that early alarm for nothing.


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© Patrick Schoenmakers 2023

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