It’s been a while since I shared something new. Not because I haven’t wanted to go out… but because the world outside feels unfamiliar lately. December in the Netherlands, normally a time of frost, quiet forests, and the promise of winter, has instead been hovering around 13°C — for weeks. No snow. No frozen ponds. Just rain and warm winds.

And it shows. Trees dropping their leaves later every year. Flowers blooming earlier. Birds already practicing mating calls they shouldn’t be singing in mid-winter. This isn’t “just the weather.” This is a system signalling distress. And after 35 years of fighting climate change — 25 of them actively through Greenpeace, Fossil Free NL, and the Partij voor de Dieren — it weighs on me. I’m angry. I’m tired. And yes, I’m in a depressive episode.

But even in that darkness, light sometimes breaks through.

About two weeks ago in the Kampina, the sun managed to pierce through the dense trees for a brief moment, sending pale golden rays across the forest path. A rare, fragile moment of beauty in a warming world. I captured it handheld with my Canon 5DsR and the Sigma Art set at 44 mm — f/2.8, 1/500s — in the soft, misty morning light around 09:00.

#wonderinglens #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #NaturePhotography #ClimateGrief #ClimateChangeIsReal #WarmWinters #ForestLight #Kampina #MorningMist #Canon5DsR #SigmaArt2470 #PhotographyAsObservation #DocumentingChange #ScientificStorytelling #NatureLovers #DutchNature #GlobalWarming #WalkingForClarity #MistyForest #SunRays #LightAndShadow #EarlyMorningLight #HandheldPhotography #ForestsOfTheNetherlands #NatureWalks #EnvironmentalAwareness #ClimateReality #LandscapePhotography #EcoAnxiety #NatureInDecember #UnexpectedWarmth #PhotographyAndScience #ArtAndObservation #ChangingSeasons #ProtectNature #ConservationMatters #ForestPath #EmotionalHonesty #StoryOfTheEarth
. This rare phenomenon can be seen in their eyes, shells, and even eggs—challenging our understanding of marine life! 🌟 #Bioluminescence #SeaTurtles #MarineLife #OceanSecrets #NatureWonders #ConservationMatters (2/2)
. Let’s support conservation efforts to protect this awesome spectacle of nature! #WildlifeWonders #SaveTheSaiga #NatureMiracle #KazakhstanWildlife #ConservationMatters #EarthsSpectacles (2/2)
Mosha the 3 Legged Elephant 🐘

YouTube

Castle Hill / Kura Tāwhiti 🪨❄️

Nestled in the Southern Alps, these ancient limestone formations are more than just a dramatic backdrop.
Sacred to Ngāi Tahu, praised by the Dalai Lama as a "spiritual centre of the universe", and featured in The Chronicles of Narnia, its always beautiful in winter time.

#NewZealand #Photography #SouthernAlps #LandscapePhotography #Winter #SouthIslandNZ #Canonphotography #Nature #ConservationMatters #Snow #canon #Landscape #Farm #sheep #Highcountry

Sharing a sunrise with a wild soul like this… it’s good for the heart. 🤎 🧡

Lately I’ve been documenting the devastating toll starvation is taking on our seals — but today, I just want to share this little piece of calm.

#SealPup #SunriseMagic #WildlifePhotography #NatureIsHealing #FurSeal #ConservationMatters #NewZealandWildlife #OceanLife #MastodonNature #Nature #Photography #Canonphotography #sealife #Wildlife #NewZealand #ConservationPhotography #OceanConservation #OceanLife #Seal

🦏 Tranquility in the wild 🦏
A peaceful moment shared by a crash of rhinos as they rest under a soft sky in Akagera National Park, Rwanda. Their quiet strength and ancient presence remind us just how vital it is to protect what remains wild and free.

📸 Nikon Z6
🔭 Nikkor Z 24-200mm
⏱ 1/1000 | 🌿 f/11 | 🎞 ISO 1600 | 📏 200mm

#WildlifeRwanda #RhinoConservation #AkageraNationalPark #NikonZ6 #NaturePhotography #ZSeries #RwandaWildlife #AfricanSafari #EndangeredSpecies #TravelAfrica #WildlifeOfAfrica #ConservationMatters #NatureLovers #IntoTheWild #Rwanda #TravelRwanda #VisitRwanda #RwandaTourism #EastAfrica #AfricanAdventures #pixelfed #PhotosOfMastodon #マスト写真部