The ‘Amazing Parrot’ tulip, captured in a sea of color at Appeltern.

Shot low to the ground with a Canon 5D Mark IV and Canon 100–400mm, this perspective allowed me to isolate the intricate, almost flame-like petals while still hinting at the surrounding field. Parrot tulips (*Tulipa*) are known for their ruffled edges and vivid patterns—cultivars shaped as much by human selection as by nature itself.

They appear delicate. Harmless, even.

But cultivated flowers often carry a less visible story. Many contain residues of insecticides and fungicides, some of which are considered highly toxic to humans and harmful to ecosystems. It’s part of the hidden cost behind the global flower trade—one that rarely shows up in the image.

Appeltern states that they avoid chemical toxins and work with biological solutions. I’m not in a position to verify that claim, but it is an important direction—and one worth paying attention to.

Because when we give flowers, we usually think in terms of beauty, gesture, and meaning.

Perhaps it’s also worth thinking about origin, impact, and process.

Special thanks to @smartmedj

What looks soft and fragile can carry a much harder reality beneath the surface.

#Tulip #ParrotTulip #AmazingParrot #Tulipa #FlowerPhotography #NaturePhotography #Canon5DMarkIV #Canon100400 #Telephoto #LowAngle #SelectiveFocus #DepthOfField #Appeltern #DutchFlowers #SpringColors #Botany #PlantScience #FloralBeauty #HiddenImpact #Pesticides #EnvironmentalImpact #Sustainability #ThinkTwice #NatureAndHuman #FlowerIndustry #VisualStorytelling #NatureLovers #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens

Eye of the Bison

I didn't know there were bison at Fota Wildlife Park, but near the end of my walk there with Henry we stopped at a field containing these large beasts! I wonder if they were overheating in their winter coats in the warm April sunshine, but I suspect the cold wind that blew through at intervals cooled them down. TIL that every European bison alive today descends from just twelve individuals. The species was hunted to extinction in the wild by the 1920s. The last truly wild one was shot in […]

https://inphotos.org/2026/04/27/eye-of-the-bison/

A Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus), or pimpelmees, moving through cherry blossom in Appeltern near Nijmegen. Captured with a Canon 5D Mark IV and 100–400mm—using reach and patience to isolate a fleeting moment. These small birds can process food remarkably fast, supporting high-energy lives.

#BlueTit #CyanistesCaeruleus #Pimpelmees #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #NaturePhotography #CherryBlossom #SpringVibes #Canon5DMarkIV #Canon100400 #Telephoto #GardenBirds #DutchNature #Appeltern #Nijmegen #BirdLovers #NatureLovers #InTheMoment #WildlifeMoments #SmallBirds #FeatheredFriends #OutdoorPhotography #NatureObservation #Biodiversity #SpringColors #ThroughTheLens #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens

Talking about something “typically Dutch”… the tulip.

And yet, it isn’t Dutch at all.

Tulips (Tulipa) originated in Central Asia and were cultivated extensively in the Ottoman Empire before arriving in the Netherlands in the 16th century. What followed became one of the most remarkable chapters in economic history: Tulip Mania. At its peak in the 1630s, individual bulbs were traded for the price of a house. Speculation drove values higher and higher—until the market collapsed almost overnight, marking what is often considered the first recorded economic bubble.

And still, the story didn’t end there.

The Netherlands refined, cultivated, and exported the tulip on a massive scale, becoming the world’s largest producer. In later years, even the Vatican received Dutch tulips as a gesture of gratitude and diplomacy—a symbol of beauty, grown from a complicated past.

This image captures a ‘Negrita’ or ‘Purple Prince’ tulip, standing among many others. Shot with a Canon 5D Mark IV and Canon 100–400mm, the telephoto allowed for selective focus—isolating form, color, and structure within the layered field of blooms.

A single flower, surrounded by history. Not just botanical, but economic, cultural, and human.

What we often see as simple beauty is rarely simple at all.

#Tulip #Tulipa #DutchTulips #NegritaTulip #PurplePrince #FlowerPhotography #NaturePhotography #Canon5DMarkIV #Canon100400 #Telephoto #SelectiveFocus #DepthOfField #Botany #PlantScience #FloralBeauty #SpringColors #Netherlands #DutchHistory #TulipMania #EconomicHistory #FirstBubble #NatureAndCulture #HiddenStories #VisualNarrative #PhotographyStory #NatureLovers #GardenPhotography #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #throughthewonderinglens #Wonderinglens #thewonderinglens

Some lessons don’t start with words, but with a simple challenge.

As my wife is getting used to her Sigma 100–400mm, one of the hardest parts has been not the zoom—but finding and locking focus on something small, fast, and unpredictable. So I gave her something to return to whenever the scene felt overwhelming: a hoverfly.

I picked up my Canon 5D Mark IV with the Canon 100–400mm, found a member of the family Syrphidae (hoverflies), zoomed all the way in, took a shot, and showed her what was possible. “Whenever you’re unsure what to shoot,” I told her, “find a hoverfly and practice.”

Hoverflies are perfect teachers. They mimic bees and wasps, yet they hover with remarkable precision, holding position mid-air thanks to wingbeats of up to 200 times per second. Small, erratic, easily lost in the frame—exactly the kind of subject that forces you to slow down, anticipate, and truly see.

Throughout the day, I noticed her raising her camera at moments I couldn’t even follow. Practicing. Missing. Trying again.

And then, at the end of the day, she showed me this image.

Taken with her Canon 7D Mark II and Sigma 100–400mm, fully zoomed in.

Progress doesn’t always shout. Sometimes it hovers quietly in front of you—waiting to be seen.

#Hoverfly #Syrphidae #Zweefvlieg #WildlifePhotography #NaturePhotography #Telephoto #Sigma100400 #Canon7DMarkII #CanonPhotography #LearningPhotography #PhotographyJourney #PracticeMakesProgress #InTheField #NatureLovers #MacroVibes #CloseUpNature #InsectPhotography #FocusPractice #PatienceAndPractice #WildlifeMoments #OutdoorPhotography #PhotographyLife #ThroughTheLens #NatureObservation #ScienceInNature #TinyWorlds #FieldWork #ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #WonderingLens