Mastodawn

Heavy snow, slow motion lives

Heavy snow has a way of forcing the world to slow down. Yesterday that became very tangible when I watched a van and a car carefully pass each other on an icy, snow-covered road. Weather alerts were active across the Netherlands, and for many people this meant stress, risk, and necessary travel. For me, it meant something else: a rare chance to observe how landscapes and human behavior change under extreme conditions.

This image was taken handheld with the Canon 5D Mark IV and the Sigma 100–400mm, pushed hard at ISO 12800 and f/29 to hold enough depth and structure in the chaos of falling snow. In conditions like this, photography becomes a balance between physics and patience. Snow scatters light, reduces contrast, and confuses autofocus systems — your camera doesn’t “see” snow as atmosphere, only as obstacles. You have to work with that limitation, not against it.

What fascinated me most wasn’t just the snow itself, but the rare phenomenon that accompanied the storm: lightning during snowfall. Cold air aloft combined with moisture-rich clouds from the relatively warm sea can create enough vertical energy for electrical discharge — something we still rarely witness here.

If you don’t have to be on the road during days like these: grab your camera instead. But walk carefully. Nature may slow us down, yet it always gives something back to those who stop and look.

#snowstorm #winterphotography #extremeweather #documentaryphotography
#climateobservation #weatherwatching #snowinthenetherlands #handheldphotography
#canon5dmarkiv #sigma100400 #highisophotography #lowvisibility
#roadsafety #slowdown #natureandhumans #weatherpatterns
#scienceinnature #observationalphotography #landscapeinwinter
#tilburg #013tilburg #dutchwinter #stormchasing #lightninginsnow
#environmentalawareness #pixelfedphotography
#ByMaikeldeBakker #MaikeldeBakkerPhotography #wonderinglens
#ThroughTheWonderingLens

Maikel de Bakker Sep 19

Storms by the sea are never just about wind and waves — they’re about raw forces of nature colliding in ways you can feel with your whole body. During last week’s storm, taking sharp pictures felt like a battle in itself. Every shot was handheld, because even a tripod wouldn’t survive the gale. The wind howled, the sea roared, and then came the sand — endless grains, propelled like tiny bullets by the gusts, mixed with salty sea spray.

In the first image, the wave breakers bear the marks of that power. Lines of airborne sand cut past the poles, revealing just how ferocious the storm’s energy was. Scientifically, this process is called saltation — grains lifted and bounced by wind, gaining enough speed to carve and erode whatever they strike. It’s the same force that shapes dunes and slowly wears down coastlines.

The second image shows a man braving the storm near the shore. His stance, his struggle, and the visible streams of sand all capture what it means to endure weather at its fiercest. To stand on that beach was to be humbled — by the sheer scale of forces that shape landscapes and remind us of the balance between human presence and natural power.

These moments were captured with the Canon 5DsR + Sigma ART 24/70 and the Canon 5D Mark IV + Sigma 100/400. A tough test for both camera and photographer — but worth every grain of sand.

#stormforce #sandblasted #windpower #beachstorm #zeeland #westkapelle #canon5dsr #canon5dmarkiv #sigma2470art #sigma100400 #coastalforces #gailwinds #seastorm #naturepower #weatherphotography #stormchaser #seasideview #beachlife #roughweather #oceanenergy #wavebreakers #coastalprotection #seastates #weatherwatching #extremeweather #coastalphotography #seascapes #windstorm #stormyweather #canonphotography #stormcapture #coastalstorm #dutchcoast #northsea #natureelements #weatherlovers #beachphotography #canonshooters #intenseweather #photographycommunity #pixelfed

Maikel de Bakker Sep 17

The day after the storm we returned to the beach, and the North Sea was more furious than ever. The wind cut across the shore with brutal force, and the waves rose higher than I have ever seen before — each one crashing with a power that humbles you.

We arrived just as sunset painted the aftermath. Between two storm fronts, the light broke through the clouds in a way that seemed almost otherworldly. Though the sun itself was hidden, its glow illuminated the scene in gold, turning even the wild waves into liquid fire. In the middle of this chaos stood the red buoy, a small but steady marker battling the storm — I call this shot “Red Buoy in the Stormy Golden Waves.”

Photographing in these conditions is always a challenge. I traveled, as usual, with most of my gear, but the sandblasting was relentless. Every gust carried grains that crept into zippers, joints, and even deep into my camera bag. The next day was spent carefully cleaning my Canon 5D Mark IV, Sigma 100–400mm, and everything else — a reminder that nature always leaves its mark, even on the tools we use to capture it.

This image is more than a photograph; it is a moment of resilience, light, and raw power held together in one frame.

#stormphotography #redbuoy #canon5dmarkiv #sigma100400 #zeeland #northsea #stormywaves #oceanpower #goldenwaves #stormylight #coastalphotography #seascapelovers #weatherphotography #extremeweather #sandblasted #naturephotography #dutchcoast #westkapelle #seaandsky #moodylandscape #oceanenergy #climatephotography #wildsea #stormchasing #wavecrash #stormclouds #canonphotography #landscapephotography #northseacoast #stormwatch #dramaticlight #backlitwaves #sunsetglow #oceanstorm #powerofnature #weatherwatching #seascapeart #stormylightscape #naturepower #seascapephotography #photographerslife

Maikel de Bakker Sep 16

Last Saturday I found myself at Westkapelle, Zeeland, during a fierce southwesterly storm. The sea was alive with raw energy, its rhythm both terrifying and mesmerizing. My first image captures a red buoy fighting its endless battle against towering waves — a symbol of resilience in an outraged sea. The backlit waves revealed deep emerald tones through their translucent crests, crowned with foamy white spray, the buoy holding steady above.

A gull flew straight toward me in another frame — simple, yet powerful. Its wings spread against the turbulent backdrop, it seemed to embody the calm determination needed to survive such storms.

The third shot froze the sheer force of water as it crashed violently against the wooden breakers, sunlight catching the spray in a fleeting golden shimmer.

And finally, my favorite: sunset breaking through storm clouds, with beams of light stretching across the horizon. Even in the midst of chaos, nature reveals its beauty — a reminder that turbulence and serenity are often only a moment apart.

Captured with the Canon 5D Mark IV and Sigma 100–400mm, these images remind me why storms have always fascinated both scientists and artists: they are nature’s raw poetry.

#stormphotography #zeeland #westkapelle #canon5dmarkiv #sigma100400 #seascapephotography #stormyseas #oceanpower #climatephotography #weatherphotography #wavepower #stormchasing #stormylight #sunsetphotography #seabirds #gull #coastalphotography #northsea #dutchcoast #wildsea #seascapeart #canonphotography #naturephotography #extremeweather #windandwaves #stormysky #dramaticlight #wavecrash #stormwatch #climateawareness #landscapephotography #oceanenergy #seastorm #stormclouds #moodylandscape #backlitwaves #seascapelovers #weatherwatching #naturepower #photographerslife #sunsetstorm